​FILMS

kill me three times

2015 review number 119:

Kill Me Three Times: (Action/Comedy/Thriller): 59 out of 100: Throw in a bit of action, inject some comedy and include several thrills, but just not enough of all three genres to make the film overly exciting or engrossing. The most memorable scenes would probably be the way the characters meet their deaths. The actors try hard but the story, although innovative at times, takes a while to set up and once it is in motion, it's over before you know it. 

 

Simon Pegg plays Charlie Wolfe, a British hitman who is in Australia carrying out his duties. We first see him close to death where he narrates that he should be invincible. The story flashes back to the first part of the film - Kill me Once. Nathan Webb (Sullivan Stapleton) and his wife, Lucy (Teresa Palmer) are planning to fake her death so he can claim her insurance. This involves disposing of Alice (Alice Braga) where her possessions and records are switched with Lucy's so the authorities would believe that it was Lucy who died in the car accident. Kill Me Twice (flashback again with some scenes revisited from the first section) focuses on the men involved with Alice, her husband Jack (Callan Mulvey) and lover, Dylan (Luke Hemsworth). Kill Me Three Times combines episodes one and two to explain all the blackmailing, revenge and double crosses. 

 

The story tries to be too clever for its own good. With so much being jammed into a 90 minute production, it just seems there is not enough time to flesh out the characters so they end up merely becoming caricatures. Bryan Brown makes an appearance as a police officer and he is wasted. Anyone could have played his role. Simon Pegg plays against type and it was difficult to believe he was a hitman, considering his affable nature in previous movies. Everything is glossed over, with not much of a back story as to how all these characters met. More time spent on adding substance instead of focusing on style, would have greatly benefited the narrative. 

 

The location shooting in Western Australia is showcased through exquisite cinematography. As a lot of the film is shot outdoors, the sets selected add visual aesthetics to the production. The music score by Johnny Klimek is also noteworthy in its sound with twangy guitar and American western influence. How this fits in an Australian landscape though remains to be answered.

 

This is the follow-up film to Red Dog, by Kriv Stenders. This directing effort definitely won't be as successful as it lacks heart and the story is not as universal. It will have a limited audience with mainly those into film noir who will be interested.

 

Starring Simon Pegg, Teresa Palmer, Sullivan Stapleton, Alice Braga and Bryan Brown

(90 minutes)

Parental advice: Coarse language, violence, nudity and sex scenes

Additional scene during or after credits: No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eO3rYcSMCA (movie trailer)

(Reviewed on Monday 17th August, 2015)

 

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