Don’t Know What You’re Talking About

Killers Review

Killers

It’s always a pleasant surprise going into a film thinking it will be a certain way, only to find out that you were completely wrong. With The Mo Brothers’ newest film, Killers, I thought I was going to get yet another entry in the torture porn sub-genre, but instead what I was delivered was a psychological thriller that was far beyond what I could have imagined.

Nomura Shuhei is a Japanese executive who abducts people and brings them to his own little torture room to maim and kill them, while recording the acts for all to see, once uploaded to the internet. Bayu Aditya is an Indonesian journalist who’s focus on his career has ruined his marriage and relationship with his daughter. Bayu is thrown into a world of murder, after defending himself from an attempted robbery. He kills the two men and videotapes the aftermath, upon seeing Nomura’s demented internet uploads. The two men connect online and a strange relationship begins to form, causing both men’s worlds to spiral even more out of control than they already are.

Killers is much more psychological than most horror films I’ve viewed lately. There are multiple characters all dealing with the same type of inner struggle, but reacting very differently. Nomura is the most ruthless of the characters we meet throughout the film. He is clearly the most mentally disturbed, as evident not only by his behavior, but also the fact that the man has an entire room decorated with various instruments of torture, dedicated to severely hurting his victims and ending their lives. He takes great joy in his actions and tries to convince those around him that they too must have the urge to kill. He sees it in their faces, he claims.

While Nomura is this clear-cut, straight forward killer, Bayu is almost the complete opposite. He is almost accidentally thrown into this world and you can tell this is not something he feels comfortable with. He is in constant conflict with himself, trying to decipher what these strange feelings he is experiencing must mean. Is he as cold-blooded a killer as Nomura or is he just lost and confused? Bayu is disorganized and still learning the best techniques for getting away with the crime. On multiple occasions, he becomes very close to being caught, making it harder for him to get to his final target, a corrupt politician named Dharma. On top of all of this new chaos in his life, he is still trying to mend things with his estranged wife and make his family whole again.

Killers is comprised of a very talented cast, all doing a wonderful job throughout the entire production. Kazuki Kitamura and Oka Antara as Nomura and Bayu, respectively, were perfect as our main characters and were a joy to watch. The entire supporting cast was also extremely entertaining on-screen.

Although this film is not necessarily a torture flick like one might original expect, that doesn’t mean there is a lack of blood. Pure horror fans will be happy to know that there is plenty of the red stuff flowing throughout Killers. Aside from some obvious CGI fire effects, everything looked amazing, keeping the serious and gritty tone of the film intact.

Killers marks the first ever Japanese and Indonesian collaboration in the horror/thriller genre. It may not be for everyone, but it is certainly worth a watch. You can purchase a copy on Blu-ray or DVD this Tuesday, April 7th from Well Go USA Entertainment.

I give it 3.5 web cam chats out of 5.

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