Michael Scott

Moderator / Reviewer
Staff member
Thread Starter
Joined
Apr 4, 2017
Messages
5,258
Location
Arizona
More  
Preamp, Processor or Receiver
Yamaha TRS-7850 Atmos Receiver
Other Amp
Peavy IPR 3000 for subs
Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
Panasonic UB820 4K UHD Player
Front Speakers
Cheap Thrills Mains
Center Channel Speaker
Cheap Thrills Center
Surround Speakers
Volt 10 Surrounds
Surround Back Speakers
Volt 10 Rear Surrounds
Rear Height Speakers
Volt 6 Overheads
Subwoofers
2x Marty subs (full size with SI 18's)
Video Display Device
Sony 85 inch X950H FALD TV
Killers Anonymous


24489
Movie: :1.5stars:
Video: :4stars:
Audio: :4stars:
Extras: :2stars:
Final Score: :2stars:



24491
Movie

Killers Anonymous is the type of films that gives critics pains in the gut from viewing, and actors are left with this sense of deep regret and remorse for having stooped to this level in order to take home a quick paycheck. It’s the kind of movie that has no chance of any Oscar status, so the directors/writers attempt to make it as quirky and kitschy as possible, infusing it with genre tropes and subversive twist in an effort to be clever and enjoyable, yet somehow managing to be neither. Writers/Directors Martin Owen and Elizabeth Morris (Elizabeth is actually one of the starring characters as well) made the fantastic low budget horror/thriller Lets Be Evil made this little noir-thriller with the intentions of imitating the 90s Tarantino and Guy Ritchie movies of yesteryear. Infusing it with rapid cuts, twists and turns galore, and lots and lots of red herrings leading up to a battle royale ending that almost feels like this was cut straight out of a graphic novel (complete with CGI blood spray with loud music and stop motion cuts during said blood spray), yet somehow managing to miss the mark so spectacularly that I almost applaud them for said miss.

The film starts out with a bizarre interaction between a lesbian hit woman (played hilariously badly by Jessica Alba) and her handler who is known only as “The Man” (Gary Oldman) over the botched job of killing a sitting U.S. senator. Within minutes of their conversation, The Man sends the hitwoman home, only for her to get gunned down by her lover, who just so happens to also be a hitwoman in the employ of The Man. Fast forward just a bit and we see the real framework of the movie. You see, The Man runs a sort of self help therapy group ala AA for hitmen/women. A place where assassins can come and keep their urges in check, all the while going about their days as a gun for hire.

However, this latest meeting in particular is a bit different, as the assassins in said group have no idea who called the meeting. Soon paranoia and conspiracy theories run high, as the varying members start turning on each other and wondering just who brought this meeting about and what their motive is. Is it the mousy Alice (Rhyon Nicole Brown) has a secret that she’s not telling, the leader Joanna has a few tricks up her sleeve as well, while the foul mouthed Krystal would rather get things over with and kill everyone and move on. The room is a gigantic wheel of snarky and witty assassins looking out for themselves, and no one is willing to to go down for the others.

24492
Killers Anonymous really tries to imitate the John Wick style of a world full of contract killers, complete with a mythos and a set of rules that they have to follow. Blend in the sort of “look, over there!” type of misdirection's and morays that Guy Ritchie is famous for and you have a movie that is DESPERATELY trying to be cool and edgy, but ends up just being an amalgamation of genre tropes and attempts at intelligence, just without the intelligence. By the end of the battle royale style ending I was left not only wondering WHY I had watched this movie, but WHY had any studio actually financed this mess of a script.

Acting wise it’s all pretty run of the mill DTV, and both Jessica Alba and Gary Oldman both wisely stayed on the fringe of this film. Alba is portrayed blatantly on the cover of the film with near top billing, but she’s literally in it for 5 minutes before she dies, and Oldman just kind of mumbles into his beard for about 10 minutes of the movie from the sidelines. He was smart to stay on the outliers of this script, as he is obviously the most veteran actor of the bunch, and he really need not sully his name with the kind of dreck that Killers Anonymous ends up being. After all the misdirections, after all the red herrings, and all the snarkiness, this is just a low budget film with a high concept idea that is poorly executed.




Rating:

Rated R for bloody violence, and pervasive language including some sexual references




Video: :4stars:
24493
I could find literally next to no information about the shooting style and resolution of Killers Anonymous, but it’s a pretty safe bet that this was a low budget digital shoot judging by the image. The picture is generally clean and clear, with good detail on close up facial shots, but there’s some mild softness in the background and wide angle shots. The interior meeting arena is a mixture of yellows, oranges and greens for a heavy heavy stylistic color grading, but flashbacks and other outdoor glimpses are much more neutral (such as when Joanna takes the rifle shot from her perch). Blacks are solid enough, but there is some digital noise that crops up in the darker sequences. It’s a solid encode with only minimal banding, but it’s so heavily stylized that it will never be a visual stunner.






Audio: :4stars:
24494
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is also quite capable, but not exactly an exemplary track. The dialog is clean and clear, while the action sequences light up the surround channels with some good activity. Gunshots and slamming doors carry with them a goodly amount of weight, and the mix itself is quite evenly balanced. The track isn’t one to really stand out in a crowd, but it does everything competently enough to where it’s generally pleasing across the board.








Extras: :2stars:
24495
• Director's Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Alternate Ending
• Lionsgate Trailers










Final Score: :2stars:


Killers Anonymous has its heart in the right place. It’s trying to put a lot of cool ideas at play into a movie that’s almost artistic in the way it carries out it’s violence. However, that is also the undoing of the movie at its core. There’s too many good ideas crammed into a 96 minute film, so that by the end of the run time nothing is fully realized and it’s just an empty attempt at something. Instead of spending the time and money to follow and complete one neat idea, it tries to force about a dozen of them together with the end result being none of them really work. The Blu-ray itself is decent enough, with good video and audio, but only a smattering of extras. Sad to say, this is a 100% skip it recommendation from me. Just run the other direction.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Gary Oldman, Jessica Alba, Elizabeth Morris, Tommy Flanagan, Rhyon Nicole Brown, MyAnna Buring, Suki Waterhouse, Tim McInnerny
Directed by: Martin Owen
Written by: Elizabeth Morris, Seth Johnson, Martin Owen
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Lionsgate
Rated: R
Runtime: 96 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: August 27th, 2019
24490





Recommendation: Skip It

 

tripplej

AV Addict
Joined
Jul 13, 2017
Messages
6,866
More  
Preamp, Processor or Receiver
NAD T-777
Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
Oppo 103 Blu Ray Player
Front Speakers
7 Paradigm Reference series 8" in ceiling speakers
Subwoofers
2 Paradigm SE Subs
Other Speakers or Equipment
Nintendo Wii U Gaming Console
Video Display Device
Samsung UN75F8000 LED TV
Remote Control
Universal Remote MX-450
Streaming Subscriptions
Sony PS4 Gaming Console, Panamax MR-5100 Surge
Thanks for the review. Will skip it based on your review. :)
 

Asere

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2017
Messages
1,464
Location
Texas
More  
Main Amp
Denon AVR X4200W
Additional Amp
Parasound HCA 1500A
Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
Oppo 103D
Front Speakers
SVS Prime Towers
Center Channel Speaker
SVS Prime
Surround Speakers
SVS Prime Satellites
Front Height Speakers
Proficient
Rear Height Speakers
Proficient
Subwoofers
Dual Kreisel DXD 12012, PSA S3000i
Video Display Device
Samsung PNF8500
Screen
60"
Remote Control
Harmony Ultra
Streaming Subscriptions
Panamax M5300 PM, Monster HTS 3600
Thanks for the review. I will skip it too. I am surprised to see Jessica Alba in a movie these days. It's not like she needs the money being an entrepreneur. Then again I am sure acting is her first love.
 

Todd Anderson

Editor / Senior Admin
Staff member
Joined
Jan 20, 2017
Messages
9,141
Location
Balt/Wash Metro
More  
Preamp, Processor or Receiver
StormAudio ISP.24 MK2
Main Amp
Emotiva XPA-5
Additional Amp
Emotiva XPA Gen3 2.8 multichannel amp
Other Amp
Denon X8500H
Computer Audio
AudioEngine A2+
DAC
THX ONYX
Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
Kaleidescape TERRA, OPPO UDP-203, Panasonic UB9000
Front Speakers
GoldenEar Technology Triton One.R
Center Channel Speaker
GoldenEar Technology SuperCenter Reference
Surround Speakers
SVS Ultra Surround
Surround Back Speakers
SVS Ultra Bookshelf
Front Height Speakers
SVS Prime Elevation x4 (Top Front, Top Mid-Front)
Rear Height Speakers
SVS Prime Elevation x4 (Top Middle, Top Rear)
Subwoofers
dual SVS SB16s + dual PSA XS30s
Other Speakers or Equipment
Behringer 1124p; Aura Bass Shaker Pros; SuperSub X
Video Display Device
JVC NX7
Screen
Seymour Screen Excellence, Enlightor NEO AT Screen
Streaming Equipment
iFi Audio Zen Blue
Streaming Subscriptions
Qobuz, TIDAL, Spotify, ROON
Other Equipment
LG Electronics 65-inch B6 OLED, Sony 65-inch X900F, ZeroSurge 8R15W x 2, ZeroSurge 2R15W x 2
Yikes. 1.5 stars????

Scraping the bottom, there, Mike!
 
Top Bottom