The time has nearly arrived for a real look at Ridley Scott‘s anticipated sequel to his 2000 Best Picture winner. Paramount Pictures has now sent over the new poster for Gladiator II. The film will be released by way of Paramount Pictures (domestic) on November 22 and Universal Pictures (international) on November 15. Tomorrow, the curtain will be drawn on the first official trailer for the film. The cast includes Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, with Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington. The screenplay was penned by David Scarpa.

Directed by Scott from a screenplay by his Napoleon writer David Scarpa, Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal (Normal People) as Lucius, last seen as the young son of Lucilla, Connie Nielsen’s noblewoman from the original movie. Nielsen also returns in the sequel, playing one of the few true-life figures in the otherwise fictional Gladiator storyline, the daughter of the late emperor Marcus Aurelius. As Gladiator II picks up her story, decades have passed and Lucius has come of age far away from his mother. While he was still a child, Lucilla sent him to the northern coast of Africa, to a region called Numidia that was (at that point) just outside the reach of the Roman Empire. He never fully understood why, and as he grew stronger, so did his resentment—even if his mother’s reasons had been pure. Lucius has a wife and child, and lives a relatively peaceful life with them until conquerors from his homeland begin to encroach. Leading that charge is Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal of The Last of Us), a Roman general said to have trained as a junior officer under Crowe’s character, although he wasn’t seen in the first movie. Lucius, once the grandson of the emperor of Rome, finds himself a prisoner of it and is sent to the arena to die. Lucilla doesn’t recognize the battered creature in the Colosseum as her son, and has no idea about the bloody history between him and the man she loves, Marcus Acacius. Naturally, the film eventually finds Lucius and Acacius locking swords again, but then Lucius is prepared to fight everything and everyone. Throughout Gladiator II, the reluctant hero encounters a number of other colorful and dubious characters. Denzel Washington (The Equalizer) plays a dashing powerbroker named Macrinus. Two relatively young brothers rule the vast empire, with Fred Hechinger (Thelma) as Emperor Caracalla and Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) as Emperor Geta.

While Russell Crowe was openly critical of the script for the original Gladiator, saying there were only 26 useful pages in the whole thing, Mescal feels the opposite about the Gladiator II script. He told Vanity Fair the sequel is about, “What human beings will do to survive, but also what human beings will do to win. We see that in the arena, but also in the political struggle that’s going on outside of my character’s storyline, where you see there’s other characters striving and pulling for power. Where’s the space for humanity? Where’s the space for love, familial connection? And ultimately, will those things overcome this kind of greed and power? Those things are oftentimes directly in conflict with each other.“

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At the start of 2023, filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan secured a multi-year deal with Warner Bros., and soon after that deal was made, we heard that his first movie for Warner Bros. would be Trap, a “psychological thriller set at a concert”. That project made its way through production toward the end of last year, with lead roles going to Josh Hartnett, fresh off his appearance in Oppenheimer, and Shyamalan’s daughter Saleka. The film is now set to receive an international release on July 31st, with its domestic release to follow on August 2nd – and during an interview with Empire, Shyamalan revealed his pitch for the film is, “What if The Silence of the Lambs happened at a Taylor Swift concert?”

Trap has a short and simple synopsis: A father and teen daughter attend a pop concert, where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.

For a better description, we turn to what JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray said about the first Trap trailer after seeing an early screening of it at CinemaCon, “Saleka plays a Taylor Swift-style pop star known as Lady Raven, with Josh Harnett’s character attending alongside his daughter. He quickly discovers that the concert is a trap designed to lure a serial killer known as The Butcher, but it turns out that Harnett is the serial killer!” We had previously heard (via FilmUpdates) that Saleka – who is an R&B singer/songwriter – plays “a popstar whose concert is at the heart of the story.” Hartnett’s character is “a father who takes his child to a concert, and unwittingly gets caught up in the surrounding events.” Saleka has recorded songs for her father’s previous projects Old and Servant, but this marks her acting debut.

Hartnett has said that Trap is “very bizarre, very dark, and wild.”

Shyamalan also revealed to Empire that Trap was inspired by Operation Flagship, “a 1985 plot in which several fugitives were offered free NFL tickets, and the chance to win an all-expenses-paid Super Bowl trip. Except, 100-odd hopefuls attended and discovered that it was a sting operation.” As Shyamalan explained, “It was hilarious. The cops were literally cheerleaders and mascots. These guys were dancing as they came in. And they were all caught. It was so twisted and funny.” But instead of making his movie funny, he aimed at making it very scary and Hitchcockian.

Since Shyamalan produces and finances his own movies, he was able to get a SAG interim agreement for Trap (which filmed under the codename Good Grades) that allowed the project to go into production before the Screen Actors Guild strike wrapped up. His daughter Ishana was also able to get a SAG Interim deal for her feature directorial debut, the gothic fairy tale The Watchers. That film was set up at Warner Bros. as well, and was released last month.

Here’s what Shyamalan had to say about Trap in an interview he did with NME a while back: “I have a new idea that I’ve started writing. It’s out in 2024 and it’s very, very exciting. It’s a thriller. It’s very unusual and very new compared to what I’ve been trying to do [recently], but I’m feeling very excited about the story, so much so that I can’t wait to tell it to you guys. I love that feeling, that electricity of ‘wow, I can’t wait for you to see it’. I will say this, the angle into the story is why it’s so exciting. The story might be something that you’ve seen before but the angle is very, very unique – the point of view.“

Are you looking forward to Trap? What do you think of the “What if The Silence of the Lambs happened at a Taylor Swift concert?” pitch? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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The seven-month pursuit of the big studio merger has officially ended with Skydance announcing that they have closed the deal with an $8 billion investment. After deal negotiations would go back to the drawing board recently, Sunday saw the official announcement of David Ellison’s Skydance Media planting their flag atop the famous Paramount mountain. The merger was said to hit a slight snag around this time last month when it was reported both parties had “not been able to reach mutually acceptable terms regarding the potential transaction with Skydance Media for the acquisition of a controlling stake in NAI.” This statement followed multiple revisions to the draft for an official offer.

It was then said that the perceived next step was for the agreement to be reviewed under Paramount’s special committee of the board of directors. Now, Deadline reports that the special Paramount committee has given their approval for the deal to be sealed. The committee had agreed to go through with a “plan for a two-step transaction: first the acquisition of National Amusements Inc., the entity run by Shari Redstone that had controlled almost 80% of Paramount voting shares. That transaction will be followed by a full merger.”

In Sunday’s press release, Skydance said it will “reposition Paramount to improve profitability, foster stability and independence for creators, and enable more investment in faster growing digital platforms.”

Redstone stated, “In 1987, my father, Sumner Redstone, acquired Viacom and began assembling and growing the businesses today known as Paramount Global. He had a vision that ‘content was king’ and was always committed to delivering great content for all audiences around the world. That vision has remained at the core of Paramount’s success and our accomplishments are a direct result of the incredibly talented, creative, and dedicated individuals who work at the company. Given the changes in the industry, we want to fortify Paramount for the future while ensuring that content remains king. Our hope is that the Skydance transaction will enable Paramount’s continued success in this rapidly changing environment. As a longtime production partner to Paramount, Skydance knows Paramount well and has a clear strategic vision and the resources to take it to its next stage of growth. We believe in Paramount and we always will.”

The merger would bring many iconic entertainment franchises under one roof, including Star Trek, Harry Potter, Looney Tunes, Transformers, Mission: Impossible, DC, and more.

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PLOT: Marketing maven Kelly Jones wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis’s already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as back-up.

REVIEW: The 1969 space landing was often the subject of various conspiracy theories. Did we really go to the moon? Did Stanley Kubrick direct a fake moon landing? Why is physics a bit loopy in the video footage? These questions have inspired countless movies and TV shows, so it’s not a shocker that yet another one has been produced. Fly Me To The Moon tells the story of a marketing guru who has been given the task of promoting the Apollo program. The end goal is to get to space before Russia and declare American superiority on a national level. It’s not a shocker that this is a 4th of July release. However, you need to settle your expectations if you’re expecting a truthful tale.

Scarlett Johansson carries the film as Kelly Jones, a marketing genius and con man who uses her unique set of skills to help sell the Apollo to the American public. There’s a fun quick-witted nature to her that really helps to sell her “never sit still” demeanor. Her romance with Channing Tatum’s Cole Davis is well done and makes the story feel like it’s constantly progressing towards something. Though I’m convinced she could have chemistry with a rock at this point. I also enjoyed Woody Harrelson‘s slimey Moe Berkus, a government employee who forces Jones to film a fake version of the moon landing. The film is packed with recognizable faces, the funniest moment being been Johansson’s own husband, Colin Jost appearing as a senator.

The romance between Kelly and Cole makes this feel very “rom-comy” at times. Their chemistry helps make it charming but it’s hard not to feel like it’s a bit cliche. Unfortunately in trying to tell a romance story along with this very conspiracy-laden space mission, the film can feel a bit disjointed. The movie’s first half is essentially about funding the project and making the general public care. Then the second half is about the conspiracy theory regarding filming a fake moon landing. Because of this, it feels like the main plot doesn’t actually start progressing until almost an hour in. There are merits in both halves of the film, but the crux of the story resides in the second half, so I’m not sure why it wasn’t more built around that. At times, it feels like it could have had 30 minutes cut, while also having enough going on that this could have easily been a miniseries.

At its core, Fly Me To The Moon is about truth. It’s about the line we walk between transparency and our ultimate goal. Because as much as we’d like to think that astronauts like Buzz Aldrin or Neil Armstrong would have been legends regardless, this film shows the importance of marketing. You can have a great product/event but if no one knows about it, then it may as well not exist. The perception of an event is almost as important as the event itself, especially when NASA was struggling for funding (though honestly, when aren’t they?). And by following fictional characters based on real people, the dramatic stakes can be a bit more layered.

I thought it was interesting for them to frame the events against the war in Vietnam. Because yes, as the general public, it’d be really hard to care about sending a few people into space when we had our men dying every day on the other side of the planet. Though, they just kind of gloss over this point, and it’s never really focused on. I loved the usage of old footage, interspersed with new. They did a great job of blending the two and it gives a bit more texture to the film. By the time the rocket launches into space, it’s easy to stare at it in absolute wonder, much like those in the 1960s.

Fly Me To The Moon is ultimately a very light and fun experience. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the subject isn’t likly to glean anything new, but it’s nice to humanize so many folks who have been lost to time (even if many of them and the story are fictional). Their accomplishments can live on in celluloid. Plus, it’s not so bad to say that you were portrayed by Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum. Much like the UFO files, one has to wonder if we’ll eventually find more about what really happened once they’re declassified. Till then, we have this light-hearted approach with some of Hollywood’s best.

FLY ME TO THE MOON IS PLAYING IN THEATERS ON JULY 12TH, 2024.

Fly Me To The Moon

GOOD

7

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Even at 80, Danny Trejo is tough to keep down. But that’s just what one provoker tried to do after a 4th of July event in Los Angeles last week. In a viral video, the actor is seen engaging in a scuffle after a water balloon was thrown at his head while he was in a convertible. Now, Trejo is explaining the situation further and expressing regret over his actions.

Speaking with TMZ, Danny Trejo stated, “I’m so sad that I behaved the way I behaved…I’m so sad that grown men gotta throw water balloons to enjoy a day.” He clarified why he even stepped out of the passenger seat and approach the crowd, adding, “I don’t think I would’ve even got out of the car if somebody hadn’t yelled, ‘It’s acid!’ That’s when I got panicked. When I got out of the car — boom! — then a balloon hit me. Then I look up and I see a guy holding [one]. I went over [and said,] ‘What in the hell is wrong with you?’”

The video shows Danny Trejo getting knocked down. A friend of Trejo’s also involved said he believes the incident was purposely targeting the actor, which really wouldn’t be all that surprising if someone was looking to make the event about themselves.

But despite some unwanted attention, Danny Trejo remains strong, even taking a swipe at the man’s ego. “They couldn’t hurt me. It was sad…I would be embarrassed if I attacked an 80-year-old man and he’s still talking and laughing.” Machete don’t mess!

That Danny Trejo is 80 years old is still tough to wrap the head around. But that hasn’t slowed him down one bit, even expressing interest in once again reprising Machete for the threequel Machete Kills in Space, which, judging by his quick moves at the 4th of July event, he’s still absolutely capable of doing.

We hate to see an event turn violent in any capacity and it’s clear Danny Trejo – whose troubled past is well-documented – feels the same way. So good for him for owning up to how he reacted, showing that he’s still a role model to many within the community.

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While the zombie apocalypse rages, there’s really only one true plan: go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint and wait for all of it to blow over. But that might not work out in the LEGO version of Shaun of the Dead. No, we’re not talking about an upcoming LEGO Shaun of the Dead movie or video game (although how awesome would that be?), but rather an actual LEGO Shaun of the Dead that was so close to being put into production…until it was deemed that the blood, language and beer might not be appropriate for their demographic.

Here’s how the bricks fell: In the early 2010s, LEGO and Shaun of the Dead fan Yatkuu (real name Greg Coquelz) submitted his idea for a set based around pub The Winchester, a central location in the 2004 zom-com. This was part of the brand’s LEGO Ideas (formerly Lego Cuusoo) initiative, in which brick lovers across the world have a chance to see their creations come to life. The general idea is that a LEGO fan creates an idea – whether original or from an IP – and sees if it can get 10,000 online supporters. If it does, it then moves on to a review phase. (This is how the upcoming Jaws set came to be.) It was here that a block was put on the set.

After hitting the required number of supporters – in part due to Simon Pegg openly praising the design – LEGO put the Shaun of the Dead set into the review phase, although it would soon be stamped as “not approved”, with the company stating, “All LEGO products, regardless of age target, must be content appropriate for our core audience. With this in mind we have decided that – good though the model is – the film Shaun of the Dead contains content that is not appropriate for our core target audience of children ages 6-11.”

That was all it took for Yatkuu’s design to be smashed to bits. It was especially disappointing because they previously gave him a hopeful message of, “Since Shaun of the Dead is a comedy, and you present your work in a humorous fashion, we believe this is within the realm of the LEGO company brand standards on violence. Note that the zombie theme does put this project at the edge of what we produce, however we recognize that the LEGO Group produces other products where themes of violence and death play a significant role.”

While it will never make it to shelves, this Shaun of the Dead LEGO set did look like a faithful tribute to the movie, with awesome details on the characters (Shaun’s minifigure has red on him!) and interiors (there’s the jukebox that plays “Don’t Stop Me Now!”). Sure, some might see some “adult content” in here, but it’s not like minifigure Ed is asking his fellow blokes if he can get of those c*nts a drink…

Would you have purchased the Shaun of the Dead LEGO set? Do you think LEGO had a good enough reason to skip it?

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Could Lady Gaga be heading towards her second Oscar nomination for acting? It’s definitely on the table as the hype for this year’s Joker: Folie à Deux continues to build ahead of its October release. Considering her previously proven acting chops – earning a Best Actress nomination for A Star Is Born – and also being paired with Joaquin Phoenix – reprising a Best Actor-winning role – Lady Gaga has landed on a number of pundits’ prediction lists. She, too, is earning serious praise from those behind the scenes, with the movie’s casting director saying she will “blow your mind” in Joker 2.

Speaking at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic (via Deadline), casting director Francine Maisler went all in on going gaga for Lady Gaga. “She’s so good in it, you guys. She’s going to blow your mind.” But Maisler isn’t patting her own back here, noting, “I didn’t suggest Lady Gaga. It wasn’t my idea. That was Todd Phillips, before me. But I will tell you, she’s really surprising — and really good. I saw it and I was really surprised. I mean, we all knew what she could do in A Star is Born, but I thought, ‘Oh, well, that’s kind of in her wheelhouse.’ Something she could do and just be real. But this… Man, she’s good. Joaquin blows your mind, but that she could keep up with him, and be real — and not just wiped off the screen by what that role is and what the performance is — shows she’s good.” And Maisler knows her way around recognizing a brilliant performance, securing Lupita Nyong’o’s Oscar-winning role in 12 Years a Slave and Sarah Snook’s Emmy-nabbing turn on Succession.

That Maisler can’t take credit for Lady Gaga’s casting as Harleen Quinzel aka Harley Quinn but still sings her praises gives even more confidence in the sequel. I was one of many who didn’t think the original Joker necessitated a sequel but with the musical approach and the promising addition of Lady Gaga – who by most accounts looks to be a co-lead – I’m officially on board.

Are you looking forward to Joker: Folie à Deux? Do you think Lady Gaga will make for a good Harley Quinn? Drop your thoughts below.

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I hate when people claim “nothing has come out this year” when it’s more a matter of access versus lack of great content. 2024 has already seen a slew of fantastic horror films released. And yet, I’m still hearing the same sentiment. “Nothing has been released.” “The year is trash.” We must be looking at completely different years because not only has this year been killer, but we’ve received some films that transcend labels. Chris Bumbray recently revealed his own favorites of the year, so I felt it was time to focus on the horror side. So join me as I look back on the best horror films of the first half of 2024.

The First Omen:

Nell Tiger Free absolutely stuns in this The Omen prequel that, minus a few scenes, completely stands on its own. I’ve seen this film no less than four times since release (two of those being in theaters) and I’m blown away every time. The narrative is so perfectly concocted and the performance by Free is utterly fantastic.

Late Night With The Devil:

I’m not going to let a few pieces of AI get in the way of this fantastic story. I feel most of us have been waiting for Dastmalchian to get his due and he’s finally given a role he can sink his teeth into. On Halloween Night, talk show host Jack Delroy is desperate for ratings and will do anything to be number 1. What results is a night full of terror and mayhem, with some of the better low budget effects out there.

Infested:

Not since Arachnophobia has a film handled spiders in such a terrifying way. Following a rundown apartment in France, a mysterious spider who continues to grow in size starts breeding and taking over the building. The dwellers must band together in order to survive. I don’t know about anyone else but I was very disappointed with Sting, so it’s nice that this was able to deliver all the spider goods that the film promised.

Humane:

Last year’s Infinity Pool ended up being my favorite horror film of the year. So when I heard that Brandon’s sister Caitlin would be joining the family business and releasing a film of her own, my ears perked up. Add in a realistic look at a climate-riddled world, and we get to examine the human conflicts that can spring up on both a global and individual scale.

A Sacrifice:

Something about cult stories have always appealed to me. The way that a charismatic leader is able to brainwash impressionable groups is a truly horrifying prospect.

Immaculate:

Overshadowed by The First Omen, there’s still a lot to like about Immaculate. Sydney Sweeney seemed to be just about everywhere this year and her love for the genre is likely to make her a genre staple. And if this film is any indication, she’s definitely going to be putting in the work. Sweeney plays Cecelia, a nun at a new convent who is up to dark and nefarious things. Her faith is tested as she discovers more and more unsavory things about the place that was supposed to be her haven.

The Devil’s Bath:

Depression and suicide are already some pretty tough topics to touch upon. But The Devil’s Bath takes the actual history of Austria where women would murder children in order to then be put to death and makes it into a compelling narrative. There are several moments in this film that left my mouth on the floor in shock. From the filmmakers of Goodnight Mommy, don’t let the subtitles sway you away from this terrifying time.

Destroy All Neighbors:

Horror comedies can be hard to pull off but when they’re done well, they’re an absolute blast. Following Jonah Ray’s struggling musician character, he ends up getting a neighbor from Hell. Featuring some great rock music and some incredible practical effects, this works as a great double feature with star Alex Winter’s Freaked.

Stopmotion:

Shudder continues its awesome streak with this slow burn about a girl searching for identity. After being forced on her mother’s path for so long, she finally decides she want to forge her own path. Her mother guided every aspect of her life so through her art she tries to break free and satiate her own desires. The stop-motion animation is beautifully disgusting with its fleshy appearance.

MaXXXine:

Color me shocked. As a big hater of both X and Pearl, I went into this with extremely low expectations. What I didn’t expect was a fantastic homage to films like Maniac Cop and one utterly killer performance from Mia Goth. With some incredible side characters and great practical effects, this feels like the 80s movie we never received but always thought we had.

What are some of your favorite horror films of the year? What did I miss? Let us know in the comments! (And no, In A Violent Nature won’t be on any list with my name on it.)

The post Best Horror Films of the Year (So Far) appeared first on JoBlo.

As expected, Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me 4 had no problem claiming the top spot over this holiday weekend. Deadline reported that the film posted a strong – but not franchise record-setting $75 million (which isn’t far from what we predicted earlier this week). With the holiday gross, the film’s five-day total is a muscular $122.6 million. That’s the second biggest opening for one of the Despicable Me movies, but it pales compared to the Minions spin-off films, which both opened well north of $100 million on their opening weekends.

Notably, despite the common consensus that two family-oriented films would bite into each other’s box office this weekend, Pixar’s box office juggernaut, Inside Out 2, continued to hold steady with $33 million, only a 42% decline from last weekend. So far, it’s made an incredible $536 million domestically. A Quiet Place: Day One performed within franchise expectations, slipping 60% to $21 million, with the domestic total currently at about $94 million. That’s a great result for a third film in a franchise, especially considering that franchise star Emily Blunt is sitting this one out, with it a prequel. Expect more movies in this franchise to come.

Speaking of franchises, Bad Boys: Ride or Die continued to pack some serious heat at the summer box office, with it making $6.55 million for a total north of $177 million. At this point, it should end its run just short of the double-century mark. Still, clearly, Will Smith’s star power hasn’t diminished post-Oscar slap, with it looking to end as the second biggest Bad Boys movie ever, with only Bad Boys For Life outgrossing it with a $206 million domestic total.

Meanwhile, Ti West’s MaXXXine turned out to be front-loaded, with horror fans turning out in droves to see it on Friday night, but then laying off the rest of the weekend. It wound up grossing $6.7 million, which is still a franchise high for the A24-produced trilogy, which began with X and continued with Pearl. 

The news wasn’t quite as good for Kevin Costner’s epic western, Horizon: Chapter One. While it had a better hold than most other movies this weekend, with it only slipping 50% to $5.48 million, considering last weekend’s dismal opening, a final tally in the neighbourhood of $35 million seems to be in the cards for this big-budget passion project. Maybe Chapter 2 will do better in August? We’ll see, but either way, this is a disappointing result for a movie Costner largely financed himself. 

In terms of counter-programming, Angel Studios has a solid word-of-mouth hit with The Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, which made $3.2 million this weekend, for a $6.79 million total. If word of mouth is good, this one might have some great legs over the rest of the summer. The Indian-made epic Kalki 2898 A.D continued to pull in impressive numbers, grossing $1.83 million for a $16 million-plus total. It’s one of the highest-grossing Indian produced movies domestically of all time. 

Jeff Nichols’s The Bikeriders, which hits VOD on Tuesday, sunk further down the list, tumbling another 61% to $1.3 million and a grand total under $20 million. Finally, Yorgos Lanthimos’s Kinds of Kindness collapsed at the domestic box office this weekend. Despite adding over 400 screens, it still fell over 45%, with its grand total domestically at just over $3.8 million. This one seems too niche to catch on with a mainstream audience. 

Next weekend, the Channing Tatum/ Scarlett Johansson comedy Fly Me to the Moon and the amazing horror flick Longlegs will be released. 

What did you see this weekend? Let us know in the comments! 

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Plot: When army commando Amrit finds out his girlfriend Tulika is engaged against her will, he boards a New Delhi-bound train in a daring quest to derail the arranged marriage. But when a gang of knife-wielding thieves led by the ruthless Fani begins to terrorize innocent passengers on the train, Amrit takes on the thieves in a death-defying spree to save those around him – turning what should have been a typical commute into an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride.

Review: India’s last big crossover hit was 2022’s Oscar-winning Hindi-language film RRR. That historical epic blended Marvel Studios’ spectacle with revisionist history for an international box office success. This year’s buzzworthy Hindi movie is Kill. The basic title should be enough indication that this movie will not be a feel-good comedy or a romantic drama. Kill takes a cue from predecessors like John Wick and The Raid to deliver a bloody, ultraviolent action movie that delves quickly into a bloodbath and never looks back. Hitting theaters this weekend, Kill has already been slotted for an English-language remake by 87Eleven, the makers of John Wick, and the reasons are pretty clear. If you have seen the trailer for Kill, you have a good idea of what is coming your way, but there is so much more gore than I was prepared for. While there are some intense action sequences, Kill feels a bit repetitive, and the lack of levity sometimes makes for a difficult viewing experience.

Kill opens with elite commandos Amrit (Lakshya) and his best friend Viresh (Abhishek Chauhan) returning from a mission to learn that Amrit’s girlfriend of four years, Tulika (Tanya Maniktala), is now engaged. A cursory familiarity with Indian culture helps follow the plot, but the idea of arranged marriages and status is vitally important to the setup. Amrit plans to whisk Tulika away and elope, but her family quickly board a train bound for Dehli. Amrit and Viresh also board the train, which is soon besieged by a gang of bandits. Led by the sociopathic Fani (Raghav Juyal), the thieves begin to rob the train passengers at knifepoint when they discover Tulika’s father, Baldev Singh Thakur (Harsh Chhaya), is one of the wealthiest men in the region. Fani decides a ransom would be lucrative, despite his father Beni (Ashish Vidyarthu) disapproving of the plan. But he does not bank on Amrit and Viresh. The multi-car train then becomes the battleground for the two highly-trained soldiers to take down the gang of almost fifty desperate criminals.

For the first fifteen minutes, Kill boasts some expected tropes of Indian blockbusters, including melodramatic musical cues, exaggerated romantic elements like hair blowing in the wind while indoors, and gauzy shots during flashbacks. The over-the-top moments quickly shift once the train gets moving, as the very first violent moment is a machete embedded in a shoulder. The kills pile up and do not stick to slicing and dicing. Kill goes all in with broken necks, human heads reduced to puddles of chunky gore, and nonstop stabbings. There is also little attempt to edit the sequences to save the audience from the brutality as director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat does not veer away from seeing blades enter bodies and the blow freely begin to flow. Oddly, if you are squeamish, you will not be watching Kill, but even those with iron stomachs are not ready for how much viscera is in this movie. The level of violence increases as the movie continues but hits its stride at the forty-five-minute mark, which is also the moment the on-screen title appears. Yeah, Kill boasts a three-quarter-hour teaser followed by another hour of fighting.

As Amrit, Lakshya is a solid protagonist but has more in common with Bob Odenkirk’s Hutch Mansell in 2021’s Nobody rather than Keanu Reeves as John Wick. Amrit is brutally efficient at killing thugs, but he also gets his ass handed to him throughout. During one fight with Siddhi (Parth Tiwari), I was not sure Amrit would survive the scene, let alone the entire film. While the injuries sustained by anyone in Kill would surely be deadly, movie audiences know heroes and villains can handle more. The problem comes from seeing the same main characters get stabbed repeatedly, which eventually becomes redundant. My biggest problem with this movie is just how much these characters loop the same sequence of kicking ass and getting their ass kicked without much change in the pattern. One particular twist at the forty-five-minute mark revitalizes Kill for the remainder of the movie, but it remains mired in the punch-punch-stab-stab-repeat until the end credits roll.

As strong as the hero is, the villain is key to any good movie. Raghav Juyal plays Fani in a way that reminded me of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki before he turned into an antihero. Fani is a borderline sociopath who is not a physical match for Amrit but has no fear of repercussions as he kills when he sees fit. Fani is a solid antagonist on his own, but he is swarmed by a dozen characters with whom we are given a substantial amount of screen time. The criminals form an extended family, so when Amrit kills members of the clan, they swear revenge. It may be a cultural disconnect for non-Indian viewers, but there is an odd focus on the grief of the bad guys, which feels like we are meant to sympathize with them despite their despicable behavior. After what the thieves do in the film’s first half, it is impossible to feel anything for them as they cry on screen at their fallen brothers, uncles, and fathers. This was the oddest choice in the film and almost took me out of the movie.

Kill features some solid action moments but nothing that matches the balletic style of John Wick or the whimsy of Bullet Train. There are no standout moments like Oldboy‘s hallway scene or Nobody‘s bus sequence. A lot of intense moments strung together make Kill into a propulsive experience, but it feels cartoonish and nihilistic in hindsight. The buzz for Kill is warranted as it may be the most action-packed movie to hit screens this year, but it is not on par with The Raid, Dredd, or similar genre offerings. I was glued to seeing what would come next, but I felt like I needed a shower when Kill was over. Even though it centers on a love story and has an honorable goal for the main characters, Kill is almost too brutal for its own good. Kill is good but not as good as the buzz may have you think.

Kill

GOOD

7

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