King of Killers - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

King of Killers


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Movie:
Video:
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Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
I honestly forgot that Kevin Grevioux was so heavily involved in comics. Most people only remember him as being the massive gravel voiced Lycan from Underworld, but Grevioux has been a big hitter in live action comic movies as well as being involved as an actual graphic novelist himself for some years with Darkstorm Comics. Seeing the press release for King of Killers I immediately recognized the graphic novel of the same name penned by Grevious, and wondered “wait? Are we getting a live action adaptation?”. Well, yes we are, but sadly this will not be something that Marvel or Sony or Fox is going to put forth a major studio production behind. Vin Diesel isn’t here to advocate for the lower budget comic book films, so Grevioux decided to direct, write, act and produce his own film via Lionsgate. The end result is a passable action movie with some nice ties to the graphic novel, as well as news that we’re getting a TV series prequel on netflix, and POSSIBLY another DTV sequel (as this one is simply here to set the stage for Marcus to become the actual King of Killers from the comics) some time in the future if sales go well for this.

Now, I wouldn’t go in expecting some massive setup or intricate plot. The film sets up the stage very quickly by introducing us to assassin Marcus Garan (Alain Moussi, most famous for playing Kurt Sloane in the new Kickboxer sequels from a few years back), a man whose skills at killer are only matched by the love he has for his wife Karla (Amy Groening) and daughter Kimberly (Zoe Worn). Unfortunately on the night of his anniversary, his wife stumbles upon one of his hits, and gets killed by a mysterious gunman, leaving Marcus to retire and raise his daughter with the funds he’s secured by his life as a pro hitman. Unfortunately for him, his daughter is diagnosed with an incurable heart condition. One that requires a heart transplant, and Marcus needs to pull off one more job to pull in a massive $10 million haul. Only thing is, he has to kill the world’s more famous killer. Jorg Drakos (Frank Grillo), the King of Killers.

Upon arriving at his destination, Marcus finds out that there’s been a bit misdirection. Not only is he hunting Drakos, but he’s in competition with a handful of his peers, all who have been given the same assignment. It’s not long before the international assassins realize that their employer is none other than Drakos himself, intent on proving himself the BEST assassin to ever live. And to do this he needs to eliminate all of his peers, one by one in combat.

King of Killers is really a gigantic mix of a Battle Royale, Mortal Kombat, and a reverse The Most Dangerous Game. Drakos has set up an elaborate set of traps and mazes so that he can pick off the killers one by one. Only thing is, Marcus is not about to be hunted like a dog, and devises a plan to unite the remaining assassins, and use their force to take out Drakos. But like all things in the comic book world, things are not as they seem, and Drakos himself may not be as villainous as they were all lead to believe.

The acting is subpar all around, and I’m not shocked why. The best actor on the list is Grillo, with the rest being Kevin Grevious in a 5 minute role, and everyone else being stuntmen, martial artists, and generally low budget actors all around. But I will give them credit. Grevious has an eye for fights, and while the film isn’t going to shock and amaze anyone, he does a competent job at crafting some unique fight scenes with some talented martial artists. Naturally the dialog is pretty sub par, and even Alain Moussi can’t act (there’s a reason he only did the Kickboxer films and work as a stunt man), but he certainly gives it his all. Grillo is pretty decent due to the fact that he’s probably the most famous of them all, and the film itself is not really meant to be anything more than a battle royal hunt for supremacy. We know the general outcome before even going in (for the most part), and the twist at the end sets up the film for a sequel that may or may not come (that was my one gripe with the movie. The ending is so abrupt and literally sets up something MUCH bigger, making you feel like the movie’s only purpose was as a setup instead of a self contained film). Luckily for us there’s a prequel TV series and from what I can tell Grevious has gained funding to work on the sequel.




Rating:

Rated R for strong bloody violence




Video:

The digitally shot film looks OK, but it’s a fairly dim affair with a low bitrate and some definite artifacting going on. The colors lean heavily towards that massive blue tinge that is really popular in the DTV world, with scene of red, amber and other heavily tweaked color grading that leaves the film looking anything but natural. Colors are grim and dulled, with most of the film taking place in semi darkness. Fine details look really good out in daylight, but in the darkness there’s a ton of banding and soft visuals. It’s not a bad looking film at all, but heavily stylized and in a way that doesn’t lend itself towards looking pretty due to the color grading.









Audio:

Now, the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is probably the best part of the entire package. It’s a fairly robust action track that features lots of gunshots, fisticuffs, and generic heavy metal/hard rock scoring. Surrounds get some adequate use throughout, and the bass (while a TAD anemic) still adds weight to the music and shotgun blasts. Solid, low budget, but still very solid for what it is.












Extras:

• Theatrical Trailer
• Behind the Scenes

Final Score:
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Honestly, I had more fun with King of Killers than I expected. Don’t get me wrong, this is a DTV film from top to bottom, with all of the flaws that that genre encapsulates, but I’m a sucker for a rock em sockem action flick and Grevioux’s passion for his own comic adds some flavor to the mix. Go in expecting something along the lines of The King of Fighters, Tekken, or something along those lines and I don’t think you’ll be too disappointed. The Blu-ray itself looks pretty decent, sounds good, but naturally the extras are a bit lacking. Decent low budget rental if the trailer tickles your fancy.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Kevin Grevioux, Frank Grillo, Shannon Kook, Alain Moussi, Georges St-Pierre
Directed by: Kevin Grevioux
Written by: Kevin Grevioux
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DVS
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Studio: Lionsgate
Rated: R
Runtime: 91 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: October 31st, 2023

Recommendation: Low budget Rental