They Will Kill You was a film that I got interested in purely because of the trailer. It’s advertised as being produced by Andy Muschietti although he didn’t direct it. Zazie Beetz plays Asia who starts a job at a fancy apartment block. It is soon revealed that she is looking for her sister who she abandoned 10 years earlier when they were trying to escape their abusive father. The film takes place primarily inside the complex and that is one of the things that appealed to me because I really like a film that has just one setting. There is a nice sense of claustrophobia about it and even though there are plenty of rooms, the isolated setting is used quite well here.
The apartment complex is led by Lily (Patricia Arquette) and her husband Ray (Patterson Joseph) and a group of residents which include Tom Felton as Kevin and Heather Graham as Sharon. I thought that they were both quite good and it's always funny seeing someone from Harry Potter doing a role that is as far removed from Draco Malfoy as its possible to get. Patricia Arquette is fine as Lily and her story as to why she is there was interesting enough but Arquette is putting on the worst Irish accent I think I have ever heard. There are a couple of moments where I could hear some decent Irish words but for the most part it was pretty bad.
The film owes a debt to Ready or Not in a good way. People have to be sacrificed and one woman who isn't trained for this sort of combat has to try and defy the odds. I thought that Zazie Beetz was quite good as the older sister trying to go through the madness so she could rescue her sister. The final act of the film is where things start to fall apart a little bit. I thought that the relationship between Asia and Maria was quite good and I thought that Myha’la was quite good but her character doesn't really have much to do when she is on her own. It’s only when she is with Asia that her character works. The idea that the big boss is a headless pig that is keeping people’s names on him and the pen is tied to him is strange but it doesn't feel in keeping with the whole vibe of the film.
I thought the fight scenes were all pretty good. They looked great on the trailer and in the context of the film they looked even better. They did remind me of the fight scenes in Atomic Blonde and the director managed to show restraint by not having shaky cam so that we can’t see what’s going on. Things moved but you were still able to follow what was happening and appreciate the kills.
I enjoyed this film but I think that it doesnt quite have the ending that it should have. I thought that the performances were really good (minus Arquette’s accent) and the style was something that I really liked. The film has a simple premise and the film was paced perfectly and ended at the right time. I thought Kirill Sokolov directed the film well and I look forward to more films from him.
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