Killers Review

     Over the past few years, we've seen a surge in the Indonesian film circuit from a variety of genres. Probably the most notable films to come out of the country recently would be "The Raid: Redemption" and its sequel; they are certainly the most high profile and well known, being box office successes outside of the country and drawing considerable critical acclaim. So when I saw that a new film was coming out made by several of the people that worked on "The Raid" films, my interest was immediately peaked. What I was expecting was another nonstop action roller coaster, what I got was pretty far from that. What I got, was a movie that could be listed among the classics of the psychological thriller genre.

     "Killers" follows the story of two men living in two countries; a young and wealthy sociopath named Nomura Shuhei in Japan, and a journalist named Bayu Aditya living in Indonesia. Nomura went off the rails after his sister killed herself when he was young, and has since started killing people for pleasure and taping the executions then uploading them on the internet; usually young women who looked like his sister. Bayu is divorced, barely holding on to any close relationships, whose career was destroyed when he went after a corrupt businessman. Towards the beginning of Bayu's story two men attempt to rob Bayu, but he fights back and kills them. Despite being in shock, he decides to film one of the men who is slowly dying and upload it to the internet; likely inspired after watching one of Nomura's videos earlier in the day. After uploading it online, he is traced by Nomura who then makes contact. Bayu realizes there is something inside of him, something that wants to kill. He then sets out to kill the businessman who ruined his life and slowly slips into his own darkness. Simultaneously, Nomura attempts to cultivate a real relationship with a young woman, only to find that it is more difficult than he thought it would be. Both men set out on their own paths rifled with twists and turns, and while they may not want to admit it, both know that they will crash eventually.

     Great psychological thrillers are few and far between now-a-days; the only recent one that really stands out would probably be David Fincher's "Gone girl." The genre just seems to be a lost art, with only a few modern directors like David Fincher being able to pull it off properly. Earlier I said that "Killers" was not what I was expecting, and that is a good thing; because alongside "Gone Girl", it is one of the best psychological thrillers I can think of released these past few years. This movie does what it is supposed to do; it is absolutely thrilling and incredibly suspenseful during several scenes. I attribute this to the directors, who did a great job. As I said earlier, this movie was put together by several of the people who worked on "The Raid" movies, and you can definitely see the impact those movies had on "Killers." The cinematography, style, and even the score are very similar, which is a good thing. This movie looks beautiful, and it has a certain professionalism we don't see from many movies like it. To be honest, I would say this movie falls under the sub genre of torture porn. For those who don't know, torture porn movies are usually horror or thrillers in which it derives entertainment from people dying. It's a sub genre with a niche following; and depending on the film, I may be a fan. And I will say "Killers" is one of the best, and most professional looking, torture porn films in years, What helps isn't just the style and the look of the film, but the acting as well. The two leads actually do a very good job in their roles, with each bringing something to their character. They are helped by a well written script with interesting themes of pleasure and retribution. The movie almost acts as a character study. Nomura, a man who has walled himself off from the rest of the world, does attempt to have an actual relationship only to realize that it is much more difficult than he realized it would be. And Bayu, a docile and unimposing man, attempts to take action into his own hands and failing stupendously. The way they evolve and change is very interesting to watch, and it is effective. Despite how much I was impressed by this movie, it does suffer some problems. First off, the movie is borderline misogynistic. All the female characters are poorly portrayed, and most are there just to be killed at some point. The movie is also about 15 to 20 minutes to long. If this movie was just under two hours long, it would have been perfect. And one thing worth noting, while it's not a problem for me, I should mention this movie is not for the faint of heart. It is incredibly violent; the opening scene is a woman getting beaten to death with a hammer. If you can get past that scene you should be fine, but if it makes your stomach turn this isn't the movie for year. I think what I liked most about this movie was that it was both different and better than what I thought it would be. From the opening scene to the thrilling final moments, "Killers" is an incredible piece of blood and carnage. Fans of the genre will watch this and instantly fall in love, others will turn away and call it sick; but if you can sit through it, "Killers" will be a movie that stays with you. 

Pros: Solid performances from the leads, beautiful cinematography, great directing from the Mo Brothers, well written screenplay, very suspenseful and downright thrilling, interesting character study, fitting music, themes of pleasure and retribution, the best torture porn film in years.

Cons: Poorly portrayed female characters, not for the faint of heart, 15-20 minutes too long.

4.5/5 Stars