Kill Shot Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

Kill Shot Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 10, 2023

There's some rather interesting seeming political subtext to an informational crawl that opens the film and which mentions the after effects of the United States withdrawing from Afghanistan, after effects which have included a dramatic rise in drug activity related to poppies, despite the fact that such activity is ostensibly illegal. A slight whiff of "it's the United States' fault" seems to underlie these text cards, whether or not that was intended, but rather ironically in that regard, it's actually kind of generic "Eastern European" types who turn out to be the villains of this overwrought and often almost ham handedly performed saga, which is concerned with tracking down missing loot from an Afghanistan deal, loot which has ended up in Montana, because - well, Afghanistan isn't particularly hospitable to film crews, and one assumes Montana provided tax credits.

The opening vignette documents the delivery of a suitcase full of cash to supposed bad guys, though it's done rather provocatively by a little girl trudging through what are supposedly miles of Afghanistan's snowy mountains. There's also a brief sidebar involving a dropped item and a woman who later confronts the bad guys with a flamethrower and who aids in what looks like the robbery of the goods. That is all thrown by the wayside once the cash is later involved in a plane crash in Montana, and what seems to be a cohort of mercenaries arrives in the state to track it down. Meanwhile, a stolid heroic type with the somewhat hilarious name of Jackson Hardison (Rib Hillis, who also co-wrote) is attempting to come to terms with a recent tragedy (is there ever a stolid heroic type without some trauma in his background) while acting as a hunting guide for a woman named Kate (Rachel Cook).

Suffice it to say that predictably the hunting expedition collides with that other expedition to find the cash, with a rather long and protracted series of cat and mouse games ensuing. The narrative here is surprisingly lethargic despite a promising premise and some frankly rather gorgeous use of the impressive Montana locations. There is at least one kinda sorta fun twist in the closing moments that does give the film a bit of an edge, and while it may sound a little frightening to mention this, a post-credits "sting" hints that there may be a sequel on the Montana horizon.

Kill Shot Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kill Shot is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The closing credits roll features the Alexa logo, and this is a sleek looking presentation that I assume had a 2K DI. The best moments in terms of visual allure are simply the towering scenes featuring the stunning Montana backgrounds, where detail levels are often really precise even in some wider framings. Fine detail on everything from facial features to fabrics and foliage is very good to excellent. A couple of day for night scenes look patently artificial, with an unreal blue cast and murky shadow detail. There are some minor flirtations with banding when lighting conditions change suddenly.

Kill Shot Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kill Shot features an intermittently immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, one which comes to life during some of the action elements but probably more consistently with regard to the ambient environmental sounds which populate the soundtrack courtesy of the glut of outdoor material. Some of the gunfights may be sonically active, but keep your eyes on the actual imagery, as it seems the production did not have the budget for squibs or blanks, as while the guns make noise, nothing seems to emanate from the barrels, somewhat hilariously. Dialogue (such as it is) is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Kill Shot Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (HD; 1:13)

Note: As tends to be the case with Well Go USA Blu-ray releases, the disc has been authored to automatically move on to trailers for other Well Go USA releases after the trailer for this film plays. Those trailers for other Well Go USA releases also play automatically at disc boot up.

Kill Shot Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you want a travelogue featuring some stunning Montana scenery, this may be just the ticket for you. If, however, you're looking for a film with believable characters and an innovative screenplay, you'd best keep moving. Technical merits are generally solid for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.