NOW IN THEATERS! Question: Can Dave Bautista sell a movie? Only the box office will tell, and J.J. Perry’s The Killer’s Game is the test. Dave Bautista plays the world’s greatest assassin, Joe Flood. During his last contract, executed perfectly, Joe experienced a sharp headache and ringing in his ears. But that doesn’t stop him from completing the targeted assassination, leaving no footprint, and meeting the beautiful Maize (Sofia Boutella).
When Joe goes to see the doctor, he’s informed that he may be suffering from CTE and should think about retiring. As you know, assassins don’t precisely retire, but his boss Zvi (Ben Kingsley) is open to the idea, especially after Joe falls for Maize and makes the perfect couple. For the sake of love, Zvi warns Joe to let Maize know what he does for a living.
After the lovemaking gets hot and heavy, Joe’s headaches aren’t going away. His doctor then gives Joe the bad news. He’s dying from a degenerative disease. Not wanting Maize to suffer with Joe, he breaks up with her and has his rival assassin, Marianna (Pom Klementieff), arrange to have Joe killed for $2 million. Did I mention that Joe killed Marianna’s father?
Once the contract goes into effect, Joe receives a call from this doctor saying that the test results were switched to another person and that Joe will live a long life. When asked, Marianna refuses to cancel the contract and doubles down by doubling the bounty to $4 million…daddy issues.
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“…Joe Flood, the world’s greatest assassin, is told he’s dying from a degenerative disease.”
Let’s just say this. The trailer pretty much lays out the first half of the movie about Joe, Maize, and the deadly disease. That’s a long time to go, knowing exactly what is going to happen if you’ve seen the trailer. The love story is sweet but really nothing to write home about.
Where The Killer’s Game gets good is all the action in the film’s second half. This film is brutal but in a comic-book, bloody kind of way. There’s a lot of CG blood splatter and over-the-top kills along the way. Reminds me a lot of Kingsmen with its surreal dismemberments and guttings.
The fight scenes also make the film worth watching. It’s all over-the-top and varied, so it never feels monotonous. The film wants to be John Wick, but it’s a suitable indie comparison. We have an anime-style battle against a Korean gang, a vicious motorcycle fight, gunplay, and grenades. It’s a video game where Joe has to go through the gauntlet to get to the big boss finally. The film is full of cameos. Scott Adkins and WWE’s Drew Mcintyre give us the wrestling portion of the fights, and Terry Crews shows up as Lovedahl…the modern-day shaft.
Sofia Boutella dances a lot but isn’t involved in much of the action, as seen in Kingsmen and Rebel Moon. But she is the sexy love interest, and sexy she is. The passion gets hot and heavy and teases us quite a bit.
I’ll just say I had fun solely because of the action. The love story and setup take a long time and, again, were told in the trailers. Editing is our friend; don’t be afraid to call on friends. It’s all about the action, and the story only gets in the way a little bit. I have high praise for this, though I’m not sure if The Killer’s Game is the vehicle that will launch Bautista into the action star he’s capable of becoming.