Killers

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED - 4.5/5

Two hour and twenty minute horror epics are rare, let alone ones that hold my attention for their entire duration – the Mo Brothers’ (Timo Tjahjanto & Kimo Stamboel) Killers now has a place in that unique group. Brutal, captivating, and often hilarious, Killers constantly challenges its audience as it contrasts beautiful, rich cinematography with despicable acts of violence, soaking the result in some of the darkest wit imaginable. The film sits at a crossroads between horror, thriller and satire – it’s decidedly arthouse and the Mo Brothers regularly aim to disgust and amuse the viewer in the same motion. I’ll try to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible but I can’t make any guarantees – I really want everybody who thinks they’re up to the challenge to seek this film out because it’s truly something special.

Opening with one of the most confronting on-screen murders in recent memory, toying with both the male and female gaze, Killers is a pan-Asian production that tracks the mutual obsession of two contrasting men. Nomura (Kazuki Kitamura) is a privileged Japanese serial killer who posts meticulously crafted and near-professionally produced videos of his murders to public video streaming websites for gratification. Bayu (Oka Antara) is a Indonesian reporter with little recognition, who has dedicated his life to futile attempts at stamping out corruption. Through accident and circumstance Bayu murders two men and is subsequently tracked down by Nomura, who feels a mutual bond, after Bayu posts a video of his killings online. That's just the first 45 minutes and from there things get a little bit insane.

A lot of films purport to have something along the lines of “the most intense final half-hour ever captured”, and most of the time it just isn’t true. I can say unequivocally that Killers has one of the most tense and confronting final thirds (yes, around 45 consecutive minutes) I’ve ev...

54/100

A frustrated journalist / estranged husband and father, begins corresponding with a serial killer and begins to kill, as well. They managed to make a movie that is both extremely savage and boring at the same time. This movie definitely could have used some trimming from its 137 mins as it spent far too much time on the emotional turmoil of its antagonists - which weren't that interesting to begin with - and on some sort of philosophical reason for everything that's happening that, in the end, for me, it just didn't work. -- DrNostromo.com