They Will Kill You 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

They Will Kill You 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

I'd rather stay at The Overlook.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 5, 2026

If co-writer/director Kirill Sokolov's They Will Kill You feels a little familiar while you're watching it, you're not alone. This is one of those "blender" films that feels like a deliberate collage of influences and styles, freely bouncing between genres and moods during 94 surprisingly not-very-breezy minutes. Liberally borrowing bits and pieces from the work of Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill), Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer), Gareth Evans (The Raid), Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not and its sequel), Jordan Peele (Get Out), and several others, it tries awfully hard to entertain first-time viewers with intrigue, suspense, loads of oddball twists, and gratuitous action... and, for the most part, They Will Kill You succeeds in that mission. But one gets the feeling that it's trying a little too hard, and its admittedly solid setup grows less potent and engaging as this tale of rescue, revenge, and sibling loyalty lurches forward.

Those siblings up there are Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz, Atlanta) and her little sister Maria (Orefile Moloi), who we're introduced to as they're on the run from their abusive father. Cornered in a convenience store at night, the girls are able to escape but end up in a tense standoff in the parking lot -- thanks to the world's most dedicated employee -- and "daddy dearest" ends up shot and presumed dead. She earns a trip to prison for the murder... but it's now ten years later, and the notably more hardened big sister is back on in action and looking for Maria.

Asia is in need of a job and responds to an ad for maids wanted at "The Virgil", an elite hotel in NYC, and building superintendent Lily Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette) answers the door. Leading her curious new employee through the building, Lily introduces Asia to a few folks including her husband Ray (Paterson Joseph), Kevin Sullivan (Tom Felton), and Sharon Vanderbilt (Heather Graham), and it's immediately apparent that something feels a little... off. But, as it turns out, Asia isn't here by accident: she's been working with a private investigator (Angus Sampson) to pinpoint Maria's whereabouts, and it's extremely likely that her little sister is also on staff at The Virgil.

It doesn't take very long for shit to get real in They Will Kill You, whose title (like Get Out) gives away the increasingly obvious notion that Asia's new circle will soon be closing in on her. But rather than slow-burn momentum, a prevailing sense of dread -- or at least uncertainty -- is quickly established within the first 20 minutes or so and involves masked nighttime attackers, over-the-top violence, limb regeneration, multiple floors of madness, and an overall plot that feels like the story equivalent of one long, continuous "Dutch angle". We learn pretty early on that Asia is more than able to take care of herself and, while the extent of her skill might come as a shock to first-time viewers, it's a surprise to her attackers as well. These surprises come fast and furious during They Will Kill You, a bloody and occasionally brutal endeavor that doesn't seem at all concerned with realism when there's entertainment value to be had.

That's a long-winded way of saying that, while I liked most of what They Will Kill You had to offer on the surface, it's the kind of "almost, but not quite" film that doesn't earn much credit for originality despite the fact that it sometimes feels a little new and different. The hodgepodge of familiar styles, elements, and story beats almost continually stands in its way, and the necessary high stakes of a bloody rescue operation like this are unfortunately subverted by almost superhuman abilities on both sides. The acting and script are hit-or-miss, the wild mood shifts seem a bit self-indulgent (although the black comedy usually lands well), and some of the reveals will either work for you... or they won't. Where They Will Kill You stands out is production design and cinematography, in my opinion, as this majority one-location film benefits greatly from an abundance of maze-like corridors of The Virgil and its mysterious rooms.

Collectively, there's at least enough here to warrant at least a few replays, but more spit and polish needed to be applied if They Will Kill You truly wanted to stand out from the crowd. Warner Bros. is hoping that They Will Kill You finds some footing on 4K and Blu-ray after its disappointing box office run, and they've delivered two solid home video packages that boast great A/V presentations and a handful of lightweight extras too. I can't fully recommend this one sight unseen for obvious reasons... but if it sounds like a fun time, you'll probably enjoy yourself.

They Will Kill You 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are all sourced from the separate Blu-ray disc, reviewed here.

The native 4K visuals of They Will Kill You unsurprisingly look great on UHD, as Warner Bros.' 2160p/HDR10/Dolby Vision transfer easily shows off both extremes of its cinematography with no real issues along the way. Its color palette is overwhelmingly moody and muted with lots of shadows lurking around every corner -- there's very little exterior or even daytime footage to be found, which is mostly limited to its bookending sequences. Bright hues are rare, as most of the visuals fall into a familiar push-pull of teal and amber, with blacks that rarely run deep by design. Fine detail and texture are right where you'd expect them to be for this recent digital production, although some of the less convincing visual effects (mostly a handful of blood sprays and the like) do stick out unnaturally. Encoding is just fine, as They Will Kill You is authored on a dual-layered 66GB disc -- which is plenty, considering its short length -- and it runs at a supportive bit rate throughout, wrapping up this excellent 4K presentation on a very good note.

They Will Kill You 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

They Will Kill You's Dolby Atmos presentation -- which, as always, folds down to TrueHD 7.1 if you're not set up for the newer format -- is another winning, smoothly delivering a convincing and at times very active presentation from start to finish. Discrete effects are well-placed (a sudden knock on one of the room doors actually startled me), the action plays fast and furious, and there's even room for excellent use of the height channels for rain and where a handful of floor-by-floor moments are concerned. The original score and hip hop-infused soundtrack are greatly supported in that department as well, with all elements working together to make this a memorable sonic experience.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and all extras below.

They Will Kill You 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. The extras are small in number and length but thoughtfully produced and worth a look.

• Director's Log: The Making of They Will Kill You (7:36) - Co-writer/director Kirill Sokolov, Heather Graham, Tom Felton, Patricia Arquette, Zazie Beetz, and others speak briefly about the film's inception, story, characters, production, and more, with the usual talking-head interviews flanked by candid moments shot on set.

• Developing The Virgil (7:49) - A like-minded piece featuring many of the same participants who talk about the film's primarily location as well as different elements of the production design.

• Asia Reaves' Attacks (7:11) - Several familiar faces discuss the heroine's formidable ass-kicking abilities, and of course some of the training it required for star Zazie Beetz to get there.

• Crafting Carnage (5:11) - As implied by its title, this similar featurette briefly breaks down some of the fight sequences in They Will Kill You's and talks about how they were made.

They Will Kill You 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Directed and co-written by relative newcomer Kirill Sokolov, They Will Kill You tries really, really hard to entertain its audience with action, suspense, and wild mood swings. I admire its enthusiasm but the somewhat derivative "blender" nature of its story and atmosphere recall far too many existing films to be truly original and effective. Additionally, its many fast-paced action scenes -- as well-choreographed as they are -- soon become repetitive, while the overpowered nature of both sides slightly rob this film of the stakes it needs to be more engaging. Even so, the memorable visuals and production design carry weight and will help it hold up to multiple replays, and Warner Bros.' separate 4K and Blu-ray editions offer very solid A/V merits and a few worthwhile extras. Recommended to the right crowd.