Killing Gunther - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Killing Gunther

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Arnold Schwarzenegger is probably one of the most larger than life actors of the 80s and 90s, and is what I would like to call the “John Wayne” of this era. In that I mean he is a guy who always plays himself, but has such a wildly engaging personality and exudes charisma that he pretty much became America’s darling overnight. When he quit to go into politics in 2003 he left a giant gaping whole in the action community that sadly has never been filled. Even when he came back after he retired as governor and got ripped again, the whole was still there as his fanbase had mostly evaporated (at least enough to keep him from being the box office gold mine he once was). I will fully admit that I really have liked his “post retirement” comeback films like Escape Plan (a guilty pleasure of mind), The Last Stand and little cameos/small roles in The Expendables franchise. Lately though, Arnold has been branching out into other genres, and gearing up for more dramatic roles with films like Maggie and Aftermath, but Killing Gunther sounded like a blast as it was supposedly Arnold back in the comedic saddle again. Something we haven’t seen out of him since 2005’s The Kid and I. The thing is, this isn’t really an Arnold movie, even if Arnold is listed as top billing, and featured RIGHT there in the original trailers and plastered over the cover art. In reality, this is a movie that RELATES to his character, but Arnie doesn’t show up until the final 20 minutes (wherein he DOES have some really fun scenes).

Killing Gunther is a film that’s shot as a documentary in visual style. We open up the film with the man who hired the documentary crew, explaining just WHAT they’re going to be filming. You see, the man behind the project is a hitman by the name of Blake (writer/director Taran Killam) who has a thing for the biggest, baddest, toughest hitman in town named Gunther. Gunther is the best, and supposedly has killed hundreds of people, and Blake wants to become the best by taking out the best, and to do so properly he needs PROOF that he actually has taken on the worlds best and won (for his street cred). So, the logical thing to do is hire a film crew to follow you around and record you murdering your nemesis. Now Gunther really IS the best, but no one really knows WHO he is either. The man’s a veritable ghost. But, Blake has assembled a crack squad of assassins, each with different skills, that will aid him in his quest for vengeance (which turns out to really be because Gunther stole his girlfriend Lisa (played by Cobie Smulders) years ago) and give him the death of Gunther.

Starting out seems to be hard, as their crack team is set upon by Gunther’s sniper rifle early on, and now they’re down a man. Figuring that they need to set a trap, the bumbling team of killers puts out a hit on a high value target in order to lure Gunther out in the open and then BAM! However, one by one Gunther starts taking out Blake’s little assassins, leading them on a wild goose chase that leads the man down a dark path of introspection as he tries to figure out his own true motivations for hunting the legendary assassin, and leaves him on the brink of insanity until one last clue is dropped in his lap from an unlikely source.

Killing Gunther isn’t a GREAT movie, but it is bizarrely entertaining in a sort of gonzo way. The movie plays out like a mission impossible team blended with the muppets absurdity and shocking portions of violence out of the blue. Taran Killam keeps the movie moving at break neck speeds, only stopping around the beginning of the third act when he gets “woke” up enough to realize that his friends are dying all around him, and nothing is coming of his personal vendetta. It’s absurd, and strangely neurotic at times, but I really feel that Killam has a knack for comedy, but is rusty behind the camera as director/writer. The man has acted in quite a few of them, but only dabbled in writing until now, and this is really his first stint as a director, and the lack of experience shows. The documentary approach is actually really novel, but soon wears off as the parody like nature of the movie runs out of steam and struggles, up until the big twist in the third act when you actually meet “Gunther” (who we all know is Arnold from the get go).

This third act almost ends up saving the film from spiraling downward out of control, as it’s Arnold just having fun on camera and using his famous one liners (most of the lines of dialog he uses during the big confrontation are variations of his famous one liners from countless of his classic action movies). The twist came out of nowhere and had me chortling for 20 minutes until the cameras rolled, and once Arnold actually...you know… shows up!, the film kicks back into high gear. The biggest issue most fans will have is that the movie was billed as an Arnold vehicle, but ends up being a movie about Taran Killam’s character and his assassin friends up until the last 20 minutes. So if you go in realizing that Arnold is just a supporting character without much screen time, it alleviates some of that shock.




Rating:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual material




Video:

Killing Gunther was filmed with a variety of digital cameras that tend to have a semi “mockumentary” look to them, with shaky hand held movement and a slightly softer look that sometimes robs the image of fine detail. The cameras used aren’t handheld junk though, so the film actually looks really clean and clear for the most part, with good detail and a strong color palate. Finer details are appropriate on close ups, but the dim lighting and shaking makes it hard to focus on them unless they’re seated for a monologue. Black levels are generally very nice, with only minor instances of washed out darks and rather nice looking shadow details. I did notice some instances of banding, but it was only 2-3 moments, and only fleeting in nature.






Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is a bit more boisterous than expected for a mockumentary, but it’s not exactly a show stopper either. Dialog is clean and clear, though there are some moments where the explosions and gunfire do drown it out just a bit. The action is intense and full of energy, but there are some of the classic “documentary” tropes that show up and are related to using digital cameras on set for much of the audio capturing. LFE pops with some appropriate weight during the action shots, and surrounds do get quite a workout for said scenes. The quieter moments are much more forward driven, with the camera recording Blake’s sobbing monologues and it tends to quiet down a bit during those moments.





Extras:

• Blooper Reel
• Deleted Scenes

Final Score: ​

I really wasn’t exactly enthused by the trailer, but I will give anything with Arnold in it at least once, as he’s one of my childhood heroes. The film isn’t anything great, but if you can put aside the obvious marketing ploy of putting Arnold on the front of the movie like the main star and the quirky little comedy is unique and humorous enough for a fun watch at the very least. It’s bizarre, and I had a ball with the last 20 minutes as Arnold’s Gunther is a complete lunatic with an insane sense of self awareness. The audio and video are what I like to call “the Lionsgate 4”, meaning a good solid 4/5 rating for both across the board, and while the extras aren’t exactly hefty, the deleted scenes are worth a check. Rental for most, as I feel the film is more of that “one type watch” films.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cobie Smulders, Hannah Simone
Directed by: Taran Killiam
Written by: Taran Killiam
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Studio: Lionsgate
Rated: R
Runtime: 94 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: December 26th, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Never heard of this movie till now. Will check it out.