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The Kill Room Reviews

It’s even more biting about the craven capitalism of the art world than Velvet Buzzsaw and features some great broad comedic work from Uma Thurman and a soulful turn from Joe Manganiello.

Full Review | Feb 13, 2024

Nicol Paone’s flat direction and Jonathan Jacobson’s listless screenplay leave the cast painting by numbers.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 22, 2023

Nicol Paone's film has pace and smarts, and will appeal to anybody who reckons modern art is all a big con.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 8, 2023

The Kill Room is a fun time, especially if you don’t expect too much from it. Despite the lack of well-developed characters, the movie is enjoyable.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Nov 3, 2023

The Kill Room is far from a masterpiece, but Thurman, Jackson, and Manganiello guide the broad comedic brush strokes in entertaining fashion.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 1, 2023

This silly, lightweight crime comedy doesn't exactly have the most air-tight story, but the cast seems to be all in, having a good time and elevating the movie to "not bad" status.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 29, 2023

It tries to skewer the art world, but the result is pretty toothless.

Full Review | Oct 21, 2023

It so badly wants to be a Quentin Tarantino movie... It just isn't.

Smart and fun, The Kill Room succeeds in creating a wicked portrait of an industry ripe for a hit.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 10, 2023

Snap (Uma), crackle (Sam) and pop (Joe) are all there and doing a good job.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Oct 7, 2023

The funny, frisky crime caper plays to the leads’ chemistry, delivering an escapist delight.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 6, 2023

Laborious rather than clever.... woefully short on both humor and suspense, despite strenuous efforts by a solid cast.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Oct 5, 2023

It's a bit odd that director Nicol Paone keeps things so breezy even as the story takes grisly and over-plotted turns. But it's an entertaining romp.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 3, 2023

The Kill Room crash-lands into its credits, leaving behind a quick case of “what if” and “what could have been” before disappearing from memory.

Full Review | Oct 2, 2023

Thurman and Jackson show great chemistry in a dark, well-acted art satire.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 30, 2023

There’s a really good movie lurking at the corners of The Kill Room. As the story unfolds, you can clearly see some elements that, if pursued further, could greatly elevate the experience.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Sep 29, 2023

In this twisty and violent comedy about dishonor among thieves, a talented cast only slightly elevates a lackluster screenplay exhibiting a collection of labored gags and sketchy characters.

Full Review | Sep 29, 2023

While the killer with a heart of gold trope works to varying degrees, mostly because of Manganiello’s unvarnished presence, the thematic heft of “The Kill Room” is enough to make it an intriguing and entertaining early work.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 29, 2023

With such a likable ensemble and a clever take on healing and finding a new lease on life, The Kill Room is alive and funny enough to work

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 29, 2023

The game cast tries hard, but the labored satire “The Kill Room” is killed by its uneven tone.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 29, 2023

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‘the kill room’ review: samuel l. jackson’s priceless delivery is the chief reward in otherwise unmemorable dark comedy.

Uma Thurman and Joe Manganiello co-star in Nicol Paone's caper about a hit man turned unlikely art world star via an elaborate money-laundering scheme.

By Frank Scheck

Frank Scheck

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It would be surprising if the screen language of Samuel L. Jackson hasn’t already inspired a graduate-level course in some film school. We all know the greatest hits, of course, including Pulp Fiction ’s “And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee” and my personal favorite, “I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!” from the movie that need not be identified.

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Jackson’s inimitable way with dialogue is the chief pleasure of this otherwise unmemorable dark comedy, built on the sort of art world satire that would have seemed dated decades ago.

Manganiello plays Reggie, a hitman whose distinctive method of dispatching his victims is suffocating them with plastic bags. When he and his criminal handler Reggie (Jackson), whose cover is as a Williamsburg bakery owner (hence the Yiddish), realize they need a way to launder their ill-gotten financial gains, they turn to Patrice (Thurman), the Adderall-snorting owner of a failing art gallery. It’s but one of many plot incredulities littering Jonathan Jacobson’s screenplay.

Since there have been countless news stories in recent years about such conceptual art pieces as Maurizio Cattelan’s banana taped to a wall and Banksy’s shredded painting garnering huge sums, the satire in this comedy directed by Nicol Paone ( Friendsgiving ) doesn’t exactly break any new ground. And a subplot involving Reggie and Patrice conspiring to assassinate a Russian oligarch (Alexander Sokovikov) at a Miami art fair to free themselves from their illicit obligations once she discovers the true nature of his criminal activities proves more laborious than clever.

The Kill Room remains watchable thanks to the charisma of its leads, with Thurman finding various amusing ways to express beleaguerment, Manganiello coasting on his low-key, macho appeal and Jackson, well, doing his Samuel L. Jackson thing, only this time sporting a truly impressive beard.

A talented cast of supporting players provides intermittent fun as well, including Maya Hawke (Thurman’s daughter), New York theater veteran Matthew Maher, Jennifer Kim and Dree Hemingway. But their efforts are not enough to make the film’s unwieldy blend of casually brutal violence and broad humor palatable.

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The kill room review: comedy thriller loses its footing but sticks the landing.

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• Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson star in The Kill Room, offering a glimmer of hope for their careers in this understated but funny dark satire about hitmen and the art world.
• The movie has a creative plot and a charismatic cast that helps land the punchlines, but its clumsy pacing and stagnant execution hold it back.
• Despite its flaws, The Kill Room offers a humorous take on the art world and its criminal underbelly, with enjoyable performances from Thurman, Jackson, and Manganiello.

Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson are actors who used to garner great excitement for the projects they starred in. Lately, that excitement isn’t quite there as the duo, outside of recognizable IP films, haven’t picked the best projects for their particular talents. The Kill Room offers a glimmer of hope as Thurman and Jackson share the screen in an understated but funny dark satire about the world of hitmen and art.

Nicol Paone’s dark comedy thriller follows Joe Manganiello’s Reggie, a hitman who, alongside his handler, Gordon (Jackson), turns to the art world to help launder their bloody money. Enter Patrice (Thurman), an Adderall-addicted art gallery owner hit by hard times. The trio comes together for a plan that involves Reggie creating works of art that are “bought” by clients seeking his hitman skills. The scheme works too well, with Reggie’s art becoming a success and him earning the moniker The Bagman, which is both on the nose and apt. The hoity-toity art-loving community eats up his grotesque art, proving that these faux intellectuals have little to no sense, or that a genuine artist is lurking underneath Reggie’s hulking figure.

The satirical nature of the film speaks to the rather ludicrous nature of the art world. Paone’s comedy is not paving a new path, as we've had a number of projects take a jab at the art world, like the start-studded Velvet Buzzsaw . After a slow and awkward start, The Kill Room builds on its premise in a very promising way, as the movie does have a creative plot and a charismatic cast to carry it. The comedy is a bit too broad, but the commitment from the cast helps land the punchlines. Thurman and Jackson are given the space to chew up the scenery while Manganiello plays it cool. The clever humor and the cast's commitment make up for the clumsy pacing and somewhat stagnant execution.

There is entertainment to be had as the very premise of a hitman becoming an art sensation is funny enough to carry us to the amusing end.

The film has what it needs to be incredibly engaging and even an instant classic, but its visual component leaves a lot to be desired; The Kill Room can’t quite overcome the VOD quality of filmmaking. At every turn, Paone plays it safe, and Jonathan Jacobson’s script doesn’t quite inspire a more ambitious approach. That being said, there is entertainment to be had as the very premise of a hitman becoming an art sensation is funny enough to carry us to the amusing end.

If there was one thing to really gripe at, it is the one-dimensionality of the characters. On paper, we understand that some of the characters are serious threats to society, and Patrice is merely someone in over her head who is entertaining this danger to level up her career. However, there is no real heft behind these characters; they are just a collection of ideas that never become fully realized people. There is a hollowness to them that drags the movie down a bit. If we were to really acknowledge how dangerous Reggie is, then the joke of him being an art sensation would hit harder. Paone manages to build momentum in the comedy but fails to impress upon us the seriousness of the violence and danger, which, juxtaposed with the premise, makes the movie infinitely more funny. Jacobson’s script, as imagined by Paone’s direction, suggests the idea was enough on its own when, in actuality, there needed to be much more time dedicated to developing it.

The Kill Room is a fun time, especially if you don’t expect too much from it. Despite the lack of kinetic energy and well-developed characters, the movie offers a rather humorous take on the art world and its criminal underbelly with characters that are enjoyable to watch. Thurman, Jackson, and Manganiello run away with the movie and prove that each has so much to give in their respective careers, and hopefully, they can attract projects worthy of their gifts.

The Kill Room is now playing in theaters and available on digital. The film is 98 minutes long and rated R for pervasive language, violence, and drug use.

• The Kill Room
• 2.5 star movies

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The Kill Room

• Crime , Drama , Thriller

Content Caution

In Theaters

• September 29, 2023
• Uma Thurman as Patrice; Joe Manganiello as Reggie; Amy Keum as Leslie; Samuel L. Jackson as Gordon; Maya Hawke as Grace; Dree Hemingway as Anika; Nikolai Tsankov as Andrei Gorlich; Jennifer Kim as Mae; Matthew Maher as Nate; Mike Doyle as Raphael Pronto; Debi Mazar as The Kimono; Marianne Rendón as Nicole; Larry Pine as Dr. Galvinson; Candy Buckley as Mrs. Galvinson; Brandon Curry as Alan

Home Release Date

• November 3, 2023
• Nicol Paone

Distributor

• Shout! Studios

Movie Review

To some, art by the Bagman is worthless garbage. To others, it’s a commentary on “domestic violence, gender roles and an obvious hit piece on climate-change deniers.”

Well, the Bagman himself isn’t so sure about either of those views. But he does know that his work makes a killing.

And I mean that in the literal sense: The Bagman is a crime family’s hitman for hire, slaying his victims by choking them to death with plastic grocery bags. But with the IRS starting to look into family matters, it’s pretty difficult to justify how such large sums of money keep appearing in their pockets.

That’s why the family has turned to Patrice, an art dealer at a struggling gallery desperate to keep her exasperated clientele. They plan to make and sell art that their clients can buy in order to request hits so that the transaction looks more legitimate. Patrice understands the family wants to launder money, but she’s out of options to keep her gallery open. And as long as it remains on the down-low, everyone’s happy.

But the problem is that art is subjective. It turns out that rich people really like the angst, the crudeness and the anonymity of the Bagman’s work. He starts blowing up. And people begin demanding more and more from this trendy new “artist.” It’s not exactly what you want when you’re trying to keep a low profile with the IRS. And attention is never what a crime family wants.

Positive Elements

There aren’t many positive elements when your film is centered around murder-for-hire and money laundering. That said, “The Bagman,” whose real name is Reggie, actually doesn’t want to be in the hitman business.

We learn that Reggie was forced into the job when he protected his sister from a drug dealer who was going to hurt her over an unpaid debt. And after Reggie killed the man, he was forced to become a member of the man’s crime family in order to “work off” what he’d done. And so, Reggie is always looking for a way out of the business.

Additionally, he protects Patrice when a man gets aggressive with her.

Spiritual Elements

Reggie is Black and Jewish, and people call him the “Black Dreidel.”

Sexual Content

We briefly see an older couple having sex, though nothing critical is seen, and the two are still in their clothes. We also hear a couple explicit references to having sex.

There’s a verbal reference to masturbation. Someone misunderstands a comment as an offer for sex. A woman and man both state that an art piece turns them on. A painting shows a nude woman’s breast. We hear a couple of slang references to the male anatomy.

A man sells urine-soaked lingerie on the Dark Web. He says that his money “goes through the Dark Web” and “comes out cleaner than a nun’s drawers.” A woman jokingly comments on how it’s too late for her to sell her eggs for money. A man is said to have a wife as well as many girlfriends.

Violent Content

We see a few scenes of various people being choked to death by a plastic bag over their heads. We watch as a couple of them fight for their lives—and one man’s death is broadcast for others to see.

Elsewhere, a woman’s neck is snapped. A man is punched in the face. Bloodstains are visible on the bags that Reggie uses for his art projects.

We’re told of some powerful “untouchable” people who are involved in sex trafficking and arms deals. A podcast describes someone whose head was bashed in with a doorknob. We hear a reference to an artist who uses his fame to harass women.

Crude or Profane Language

The f-word is used about 90 times, including eight instances that are preceded by “mother.” The s-word is used about 25 times. The c-word is used once. We also hear a couple crude words that reference male and female genitalia.

“A–” and “b–ch” are both used prominently. We also hear “d–n” and “h—.” God’s name is used in vain 15 times, including six pairings with “d–n.” Jesus’ name is used in vain five times.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Patrice is convinced that Reggie is a drug dealer. She has some reasons to believe so: She purchases Adderall from a dealer who has connections to Reggie. Patrice crushes an Adderall pill before ingesting it.

We also see people drinking various types of alcohol. A woman vapes.

Other Negative Elements

Patrice vomits. A woman verbally attacks a man for being a “straight white male” when she becomes jealous of his success.

When the Bagman’s canvas is stained red, you’d better check to make sure it isn’t blood.

The Kill Room tells the story of a money laundering scheme taking place in an art gallery. But instead of laying low, the paintings the crime family sells are taking off.

And while there aren’t perhaps as many violent scenes in this movie as you might expect for such a premise, the occasional person still meets his or her demise in a plastic bag. There are also a few sexual quips and some drug use. But the biggest content culprit here is the foul language, which pervades nearly every sentence in this film.

Sometimes art speaks for itself. Other pieces of art speak to only some. And when it comes to the “art” of this movie … I just don’t get it.

Kennedy Unthank

Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”

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The Kill Room Movie

Who's Involved:

Candy Buckley, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Larry Pine, Jordan Beckerman, Jordan Yale Levine, Joe Manganiello, Debi Mazar, Dree Hemingway, Maya Hawke, Nicol Paone, Jennifer Kim, Amy Keum, Jonathan Jacobson, Alexander Sokovikov

Release Date:

Friday, September 29, 2023 Nationwide Friday, November 3, 2023 VOD / Digital

Plot: What's the story about?

The Kill Room is a dark comedic thriller follows an art dealer (Uma Thurman) who teams with a hitman (Joe Manganiello) and his boss (Samuel L. Jackson) for a money laundering scheme that accidentally turns the hitman into an overnight Avant-Garde sensation, forcing the dealer to play the art world against the underworld.

5.00 / 5 stars ( 1 users)

Poll: Will you see The Kill Room?

Who stars in The Kill Room: Cast List

Uma Thurman

The Old Guard 2, Burnt  

Samuel L. Jackson

The Garfield Movie, Argylle  

Joe Manganiello

Magic Mike XXL, Sabotage  

Entourage, She's Funny That Way  

Inside Out 2, Wildcat  

Dree Hemingway

Run With The Hunted, Live Cargo  

Honor Society  

Candy Buckley

Adam the First, Still Here  

Jennifer Kim

She Dies Tomorrow  

Alexander Sokovikov

Who's making The Kill Room: Crew List

A look at the The Kill Room behind-the-scenes crew and production team. The film's director Nicol Paone last directed Friendsgiving .

Nicol Paone

Screenwriter

Jonathan Jacobson

Shout! Studios

Production Company

Idiot Savant Pictures

Untitled Entertainment

Watch The Kill Room Trailers & Videos

Official Trailer #2

Official Trailer

Production: what we know about the kill room, filming timeline.

• 2023 - August : The film was set to Completed  status.
• 2022 - April : The film was set to Development  status.

Shooting this spring in New Jersey and New York.

The Kill Room Release Date: When was the film released?

The Kill Room was a Nationwide release in 2023 on Friday, September 29, 2023 . There were 18 other movies released on the same date, including The Creator , Saw X and Muzzle .

Q&A Asked about The Kill Room

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• Fri., Oct. 13, 2023
• set film release to VOD / Digital
• added the US film release date of November 3, 2023
• added a photo to the photo gallery
• added Official Trailer #2 to movie trailers & videos
• added photos to the photos gallery
• added Shout! Studios as a distributor
• added dark comedy as a genre
• added Alexander Sokovikov as actor to movie credits
• added Jennifer Kim as actor to movie credits
• added Larry Pine as actor to movie credits

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Reviews by someone who's seen the movie

The Kill Room

Walking the line between complex and convoluted plotting, The Kill Room is a dark comedy throwback starring Uma Thurman and Samuel L Jackson. It’s the first time these two have appeared together since 2004’s Kill Bill: Vol 2 .

The time before that was Pulp Fiction and it’s obvious that it’s the Tarantino connection that this movie is really all about.

Thurman plays Patrice, a gallery owner on the skids. Jackson is Gordon, the local baker whose store is a front for a crime operation. He comes up with a novel scheme for laundering the vast sums of cash that come his way. He’ll buy worthless tat from her for a vastly inflated sum – cash of course – and she’ll write a cheque for him, deducting a middlewoman’s fee. Everyone’s happy especially as the taxman’s usual method of spotting this kind of ruse – the disparity between the value of something and the price paid for it – do not apply.

But Patrice needs tat to sell. Gordon’s henchman and contract killer Reggie has soon been pressed into service as an art-by-the-yard dauber. And what do you know, in an echo of The Producers (Thurman appeared in the 2005 remake), the phoney artist suddenly, accidentally become the next big thing, causing problems all round.

As Reggie’s art moves on from paint to more conceptual works – the bloody plastic bags he has suffocated people with – “the Bagman”, a Banksie-esque nickname, becomes a celebrity, a star.

Director Nicol Paone and writer Jonathan Jacobson take shots at most aspects of the art world – the gallerists, artists, critics, collectors, groupies, interns and hangers-on – all of them presented as being vastly up themselves. It’s funny, at times, and probably guffaw-inducing if you’re part of the demographic that takes the “my kid could have done that” line on modern art.

You can imagine Jacobson sitting down with a big bag of cocaine to write it, in much the way so many movies followed in the wake of Tarantino’s first flowering seemed to have been written. It’s busy and bitty and it doesn’t always make sense but Thurman and Jackson understand what sort of energy is required and give it their best shot.

She plays to her reputation of being a bit of a swishy diva while he cackles, winks and wise-cracks Gordon into three dimensions, a solidity most of the other characters never quite achieve.

Maya Hawke, Thurman’s daughter with Ethan Hawke, plays a pissy young artist, her first collaboration with mama, and Dree Hemingway, daughter of Mariel, plays a rival gallerist with a deadly line in put-downs. The nepotism of the art world is never referred to.

Lost somewhere in all this is Joe Manganiello, as killer Reggie, the phoney artist who becomes a real one. He holds the screen in early scenes on his own but he’s more a device than a full character, especially once the game is afoot.

Towards the end things take a bit of a dive with the introduction of a Russian gangster and his wannabe son. Things get a bit more Tarantino than strictly necessary, and suddenly there are just way too many characters on screen, though these two do eventually figure in a conclusion which will just about satisfy everybody.

It’s not quite slick enough to be a madcap tear, not quite smart enough to nail the art world to the cross of its own pretensions but it is lively and fun and there’s even a few references to the Dutch conceptual artist Bas Jan Ader, who died in 1975 on a “conceptual” crossing from the US to Europe on a 13ft sailboat. In his case reality had the last word. Everyone’s a critic.

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The kill room, common sense media reviewers.

Swearing, murder, drug use in lightweight crime comedy.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

While "worse" criminals eventually pay a price, un

No admirable behavior here. It's assumed that Patr

A White woman (Uma Thurman) drives the story; the

Characters are killed by asphyxiation via plastic

A character sells "panties for perverts" -- many p

Extremely strong language includes "f--k," "s--t,"

Mention of Instagram.

Main character buys Adderall from a drug dealer (s

Parents need to know that The Kill Room is a crime comedy about a struggling art dealer (Uma Thurman) who starts laundering money and an assassin (Joe Manganiello) who unexpectedly becomes a famous artist. There's a fair bit of violence, with characters getting killed by asphyxiation via plastic bags. They're…

Positive Messages

While "worse" criminals eventually pay a price, unscrupulous and criminal behavior is rewarded.

Positive Role Models

No admirable behavior here. It's assumed that Patrice ran her own business into the ground due to her reckless behavior (she buys illegal Adderall, smashes it up, and sniffs it). Other main characters are killers and criminals.

Diverse Representations

A White woman (Uma Thurman) drives the story; the other main characters are White and Black men. Some supporting characters are played by actors of East Asian descent (Jennifer Kim, Amy Keum), and supporting actor Matthew Maher has a cleft palate. Other performers of color are seen in smaller roles. A White woman dresses in a kimono, and a Black man works in a Jewish deli and speaks about Jewish stereotypes. The word "retard" is used.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Characters are killed by asphyxiation via plastic bag -- scenes show struggling, panicking, and bags filling with blood. Bloody plastic bags displayed as artworks. Character punched in face. Neck-breaking. Choking. Shoving. Victim dragged across floor. Threats. Violence described verbally. Vomiting.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A character sells "panties for perverts" -- many pairs are hung up on a clothesline, and he sprays the crotch area with something scented. Sex-related dialogue, sexual innuendo. A couple is shown in bed; a man is shirtless, and a woman is in a negligee. They hold each other and move out of frame. Naked female breast visible on painting.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Extremely strong language includes "f--k," "s--t," "motherf----r," "bulls--t," "c--t," "p---y," "a--hole," "goddamn," "bitch" and "son of a bitch," "ass," "nuts," "moron," "idiot," "dumb," "retard," "cretin." "Christ," "Jesus" used as exclamations.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Main character buys Adderall from a drug dealer (she can't get it from doctors anymore). She crushes the pills, rubs the powder on her teeth, and snorts it with a straw. A supporting character is a drug dealer. Drug-related dialogue. Story about a character who "got into junk." Drinks in bar. Wine during gallery openings and with dinner. Woman caught lying on floor, empty wine bottles around her. A supporting character vapes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Kill Room is a crime comedy about a struggling art dealer ( Uma Thurman ) who starts laundering money and an assassin ( Joe Manganiello ) who unexpectedly becomes a famous artist. There's a fair bit of violence, with characters getting killed by asphyxiation via plastic bags. They're shown struggling, and the bags -- which are later displayed as art -- fill with blood. There's also punching, neck-breaking, choking, and more, plus violence described in dialogue. A man sells "panties for perverts"; many pairs are shown on a clothesline. There's strong sex-related dialogue, and a partially undressed couple is shown in bed. Language is constant and extremely strong, with many, many uses of "f--k," "s--t," "p---y," "a--hole," "goddamn," and more. A character buys illegal Adderall from a drug dealer, smashes the pills up, and snorts them. There's social drinking and drug-related dialogue, and a character vapes. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Videos and photos.

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What's the Story?

In THE KILL ROOM, struggling art dealer Patrice ( Uma Thurman ) hasn't been able to sell anything lately and is on the verge of losing her gallery. When her drug dealer, Nate ( Matthew Maher ), arrives to collect payment for her supply of Adderall, Patrice gives him a painting instead. Nate shows the painting to his boss, Gordon ( Samuel L. Jackson ), who runs his crime operation out of a Jewish bakery. Gordon has a great idea: Since the price of art is entirely arbitrary, why not use Patrice's gallery to launder money? Desperate, Patrice reluctantly agrees, but they need one thing to make the deal legit: paintings. So Gordon enlists his paid assassin, Reggie ( Joe Manganiello ), to do the job. Reggie, who signs his work "The Bagman," unexpectedly becomes a phenomenon, bringing all kinds of attention -- both good and bad -- to Patrice and the gallery.

Is It Any Good?

This silly, lightweight crime comedy doesn't exactly have the most air-tight story, but the cast seems to be all in, having a good time and elevating the movie to "not bad" status. Directed by Nicol Paone , The Kill Room suffers slightly from its blocky style, with actors photographed head-on, with lots of cuts back and forth during their exchanges. It creates a slight remove, as if they're talking to themselves. (This method is sometimes used when actors aren't on set at the same time.) But when Paone is able to compose her actors in the same frame, things loosen up considerably. Thurman brings a screwball zaniness to her character (and even plays a bonus scene with her real-life daughter, Maya Hawke ), and Jackson seems to be having fun with his quirky character. Manganiello brings unexpected heart to his reluctant assassin character, and Jennifer Kim is hilarious as a somewhat over-the-top art dealer. It's fun to see the kooky millionaire art collectors buffaloed, too. The ending of The Kill Room is rather shoehorned into place, but it's all done with a generous measure of goodwill.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about The Kill Room 's violence . How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

How are drug use and drinking portrayed? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?

Could any of the characters be considered role models ? Why, or why not?

Who decides which kinds of art are valuable and which kinds aren't?

Did you notice positive diverse representations in the film? What about stereotypes ?

Movie Details

• In theaters : September 29, 2023
• On DVD or streaming : December 5, 2023
• Cast : Uma Thurman , Joe Manganiello , Samuel L. Jackson
• Director : Nicol Paone
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Middle Eastern/North African actors, Black actors
• Studio : Shout! Studios
• Genre : Comedy
• Run time : 98 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : pervasive language, violence, and drug use
• Last updated : December 6, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

Movie Review – The Kill Room (2023)

September 28, 2023 by Robert Kojder

The Kill Room , 2023.

Directed by Nicol Paone. Starring Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Joe Manganiello, Maya Hawke, Debi Mazar, Dree Hemingway, Larry Pine, Gionna Daddio, Matthew Maher, Mike Doyle, Leah McSweeney, James Di Giacomo, Amy Keum, Brandon Curry, Jennifer Kim, Denise Grayson, Nikolai Tsankov, Candy Buckley, Clare Severinghaus, Zora Casebere, Linda Summer, Ethan Herschenfeld, Neal Davidson, Tom Pecinka, Noam Shapiro, Jordon Bolden, Danny Plaza, and Alexander Sokovikov.

A hitman, his boss, an art dealer and a money-laundering scheme that accidentally turns the assassin into an overnight avant-garde sensation, one that forces her to play the art world against the underworld.

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, The Kill Room wouldn’t exist.

Director Nicol Paone and screenwriter Jonathan Jacobson’s The Kill Room put a mildly refreshing spin on the usual antics of mocking what wealthy elites see in the snobby art world and its abstract work, bringing a hitman (Joe Manganiello) into it as a money-laundering scheme front, unexpectedly getting in touch with his emotions and releasing anger by splashing together several expressive works pointing to a tortured soul who was forced into a life of crime and suffocating targets with plastic bags. Naturally, Reggie becomes known as The Bagman in the art world, realizing that he has an opportunity to change his life into something he is surprisingly passionate about. One could also take this as well-intentioned commentary that violent men can reform and that some type of therapy is always useful for accomplishing that.

The other half of the narrative involves struggling art curator Patrice (Uma Thurman), a strung-out woman hopped up on Adderall and incapable of making sales. Working alongside her loyal assistant Grace (Maya Hawke), their business gets bleak. That is until Samuel L. Jackson’s Jewish crime boss Gordon (running a bakery as smoke and mirrors for his crimes), gets tipped off about the art gallery and has the realization that such an establishment has all the makings of a clean way to launder dirty money, especially in an environment where stings are becoming more common, creating more cause for concern.

There are rival art gallery curators, a booming demand in The Bagman’s increasingly prolific portfolio (one painting per week is created as an inventory diversion to give further credibility to the scheme), and pretentiously sycophantic buyers who are oblivious to the darker nature behind the paintings and driving up the price. However, the film feels a bit familiar and generic whenever the focus is elsewhere, especially on the criminal underworld. It also disappointingly fails to dig into Reggie as a character truly.

Admittedly, sometimes there is confusion on whether the film is trying to derive humor from what the rich find artistic and monetary value in or if it thinks The Bagman’s paintings are genuinely stimulating, but it is nevertheless engaging watching Joe Manganiello tap into a softer side. There is still a montage of him suffocating people with plastic bags as the inspiration for his work, but it’s also not glorified or intended to be entertaining, appropriately conveyed as something dark that happens to be his profession for reasons that are explained later on. Murder is not something he wants to be doing, although the art proves to be a healthy release from that inner torment.

At roughly halfway, The Kill Room shifts from Reggie’s rise as an art world superstar to dealing with the growing conflict it causes with the crime bosses he and Gordon report to, especially if his identity is linked to the Bagman name. It would be unfair to say that these scenes are boring, but that creative energy is lost for a while, at least until the group decides to escape the crime world once and for all (Patrice is also roped in under the thumb due to her association with Reggie and Gordon), leading to an audacious artistic creation dubbed “The Kill Room.”

There isn’t a component here to single out as outstanding, but with such a likable ensemble (not to mention marking an on-screen reunion between Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson for the first time since Pulp Fiction ) and a clever take on healing and finding a new lease on life, The Kill Room is alive and vibrant enough to work.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check  here  for new reviews, follow my  Twitter  or  Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

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The Kill Room (2023)

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The Kill Room

A hitman, his boss, an art dealer and a money-laundering scheme that accidentally turns the assassin into an overnight avant-garde sensation, one that forces her to play the art world against the underworld.

Exclusive: The Kill Room Director Nicol Paone on Holding a Mirror to the Art World

Fine art meets organized crime in director Nicol Paone's comedy thriller, The Kill Room, starring Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Joe Manganiello.

The Kill Room Cast and Character Guide

Get to know the cast and characters from The Kill Room, starring Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson.

The Kill Room Clip Pairs Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman for the First Time in 20 Years

The Kill Room has the perfect mix of the two Pulp Fiction stars, art, crime, satire, and silliness.

The Kill Room Review: Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson Hilariously Skewer the Art World

A gallery owner (Uma Thurman), hitman (Joe Manganiello), and baker (Samuel L. Jackson) get embroiled in a money-laundering scheme.

The Kill Room: Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We Know

Experience a blend of crime and artistry in The Kill Room. With a stellar cast and an unpredictable plot, prepare for a cinematic thrill.

The Kill Room Trailer Reunites Uma Thurman & Samuel L. Jackson for Comedic Thriller

Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson team up alongside Maya Hawke and Joe Manganiello in the new trailer for The Kill Room.

WWE's Liv Morgan Joins Samuel L. Jackson & Uma Thurman in The Kill Room

The thriller The Kill Room has just enlisted a popular WWE star to join its lead stars Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman.

Joe Manganiello Joins Samuel L. Jackson & Uma Thurman in The Kill Room

True Blood star Joe Manganiello has joined Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman in the upcoming comedy thriller The Kill Room.

Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson to Reunite for Comedy-Thriller The Kill Room

Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill stars Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson are teaming back up for a dark comedy thriller, The Kill Room.

The Kill Room (2023) Movie Ending Explained: What’s the Red Book? 

Nicole Paone’s latest film, The Kill Room (2023), has stirred up a buzz, prompting a departure from her usual style that fans have grown to love, and it is winning hearts. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, and Joe Manganiello, the movie follows the story of Reggie (Joe Manganiello), who, upon one of his handler’s requests, decides to become a part-time painter to launder money for the company he works for. What starts out as a discreet business deal quickly snowballs into the whole art world, vying for a piece of Reggie’s work. The film is also a reaction to the current cultural trend of “finding art in everything,” be it a plastic bag stained with blood or a string of thread attached to two iron rods.

The Kill Room (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:

Reggie (Joe Manganiello) is a highly skilled assassin with a handful of anger issues. The movie kicks off with him lying about buying a coffee from a local store, just to know if there aren’t any security cameras. And when he learns there aren’t any, he drags the store owner from behind the counter and kills him with a plastic bag. Reggie is an interesting character who enjoys true-crime podcasts while walking down the streets. However, the company Reggie works for runs into problems, justifying their finances, and decides on an unconventional approach to hide their money trail. Unfortunately, the guy who used to launder their money, turning them from dirty to legit, was arrested by the police and sent behind bars for years, leaving them to find new ways to deal with the money.

That’s where Uma Thurman’s character, Patrice, comes in. Patrice is an art curator, in debt from dead to toe. She owns an art gallery housing dozens of paintings, but the place, for some reason, is always empty. Gordon (Samuel L. Jackson) learns about Patrice from one of his friends and decides to strike a deal that will benefit them both. Gordon proposes a deal- he will give Patrice a painting and some money, and in return, she’ll cut him a tidy check minus her commission. Even though Gordon’s deal is very tempting, Patrice denies it. Gordon leaves the gallery, but not before he hands Patrice his card, you know! In case she changes her mind. However, Patrice has a change of heart once his biggest artist leaves her for her arch nemesis-Nicole (Marianne Rendón).

Who’s the Bagman?

Gordon asks Reggie, but this time, rather than asking him to kill someone, he asks him to grab a brush, dip it in color, and paint whatever he wants – pizza, a man running on the streets in his tighty-whities, a cat, a man with a mustache anything. He also proposes to his partners that if they need someone to bite the dust, they’ll need to buy Reggie’s art. In return, the curator will cut them a nice clean check, turning their dirty money into a legitimate one. Soon, Patrice cuts Gordon his first check after receiving a painting from his hitman-turned-painter, Reggie, aka Bagman (Reggie kills people with plastic bags). Soon, Patrice business starts soaring, earning her many new clients, even those who had left her for her rival, Nicole.

As for Reggie, he becomes an overnight sensation. Everyone wants at least one of Reggie’s paintings to hang on their walls. Curators from Milan and many other cities start bugging Patrice, trying to strike a deal with Bagman, but Patrice denies it. And why would she share his greatest artist? The world is going mad over Reggie’s painting, calling it a masterpiece. However, all Reggie does is mix some color around and literally throw it on a canvas to mix it. Patrice meets Reggie, and the latter asks what she makes about him after looking at his art. Patrice responds that if he paints his own sentiments, people would be able to “look into his soul.”

How Did Patrice Find Out the Truth?

At Reggie’s apartment, Patrice even finds a bunch of blood-soaked plastic bags and hangs them in his gallery by pasting them on a piece of cardboard. Patrice names the art “The Reflection of Consumerism.” But in reality, it is plastic bags that Reggie used to kill his targets. Patrice throws a huge party to unveil Reggie’s next art and introduce her newly-acquired clients. At first, Patrice thought Gordon and Reggie were some small-time drug dealers looking to launder the money. Unfortunately, at the party, she finally realizes that Reggie is a hitman by looking closely at the plastic bags.

She even ends up puking on his art. This revelation sweeps Patrice off his feet. Furthermore, she begins contemplating how many years of prison time she’ll get for laundering money for a bagel shop that kills people. Patrice thought her career would be over after this. However, it pushed her gallery and Bagman’s reputation to new heights. Reggie’s alias makes headlines at the Herald, citing his pieces as “emotionally complex, yet accessible.” Reggie’s boss, Andre, on the other hand, isn’t thrilled and believes Reggie’s art would land them in prison. He invites Patrice and Reggie to his restaurant and makes it explicitly clear not to attract unwanted attention since it can hurt their real business.

The Kill Room (2023) Movie Ending Explained:

What’s the red book.

Reggie has grown tired of his criminal life. He doesn’t want to kill people anymore. So what does Reggie want? He wants to paint and pour his feelings on a canvas for people to enjoy while they sip their favorite wine. He no longer wants to work for Anton and Andre and contemplates using the “Red File.” What’s the red file? It’s a file containing the names of unkillable people – drug dealers, weapon dealers, sex traffickers, kingpins – people everyone wants to be taken out but no one can get to.

Patrice decides to help and, through her connections, arranges an audience with a big-time arms dealer, Ramen Rashikov. He is one of the names on the list. But how? Patrice arranged Reggie’s meeting with Maxine, a big-time art critic. Maxine’s article made a splash, attracting Rashnikov’s attention, who just conveniently happened to be an art collector.  Rashikov has cost Anton millions, and he has been desperately trying to take him out. However, he failed every time as Rashikov boasts some impressive security that can sniff dangers from a mile away.

Towards the end of “The Kill Room,” Roman arrives in Miami for Bagman’s final art piece. Subsequently, Patrice introduces him to the notorious and highly acclaimed Bagman. Patrice and Reggie plan to stream Rashikov’s murder to her entire gallery.  Reggie pulls out his plastic bag and begins smothering Rashikov to death. However, towards the end, he tricks Anton into doing the rest. The duo then puts his body in a shipping crate and requests Mae to ship the crate to an unknown warehouse.

Patrice also sells the plastic bag that Reggie used to kill Rashikov to one of her wealthy clients. As for Reggie, he already had a boat in place to escape. Patrice also buys her freedom from Andre by offering him the check for Reggie’s final piece and threatening her that if anything were to happen to her, a dossier of the evidence would find themselves in a police station, implicating Anton in Rashikov’s death.

Read More: Desperation Road (2023) Movie Ending Explained: How is Maben saved from the Murder Allegation?

The Kill Room (2023) Movie Links: IMDb , Rotten Tomatoes , Wikipedia , Letterboxd The Kill Room (2023) Movie Cast: Uma Thurman, Joe Manganiello, Maya Hawke, Debi Mazar, Dree Hemingway, Samuel L. Jackson The Kill Room (2023) Movie Genre: Comedy/Mystery & thriller, Runtime: 1h 38m

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The Kill Room (2023) Movie Review – One of the worst films of the year

One of the worst films of the year.

Nicol Paone’s The Kill Room is the new dark comedy thriller starring Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Maya Hawke and Joe Manganiello. It’s about a hitman, his boss and an art dealer who get mixed up in a money laundering scheme. And to cut a long story short, it’s not very good at all. How is a movie with a cast this good so bad? It’s devoid of any real plot and just meanders for the overly long 1 hour and 38 minutes, causing it to feel more like a 3 hour movie. 

In the film, highly-skilled assassin Reggie (Joe Manganiello) is struggling with anger issues when the company he works for runs into some problems. To justify their finances, they decide on a new way to hide their money after the guy who used to launder it is arrested and put behind bars for years. 

This is where art curator Patrice (Uma Thurman) comes into the fold. She is in debt and has a struggling art gallery that is always empty, but Reggie’s boss Gordon decides to strike a deal with her that will benefit both parties. 

Samuel L Jackson is usually enough of a presence to save a movie from nosediving, but he delivers the clunky dialogue with a really bad caricature version of the Jules Winnfield character from Pulp Fiction . This is interesting, as he reunites with his former Pulp Fiction co-star Uma Thurman for the first time since the 1994 Tarantino classic. She looks totally disinterested for the entirety of the runtime, alongside Maya Hawke, who is criminally underused. 

The world of a hitman is an interesting one, however, mixed with the art world in this film, it really isn’t. The Kill Room is an absolute stinker and should be avoided at all costs. 

Read More : The Kill Room Ending Explained

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, black writers week.

A movie theater would probably be the best place to see “Kill,” a bloody Hindi-language Indian beat-em-up set on a train to New Delhi. The movie features a handful of visually dynamic fight scenes, choreographed by action directors Se-yeong Oh and Parvez Sheikh (“Fighter,” “ War ”), directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat , and shot by cinematographer Rafey Mehmood . “Kill” also features a threadbare plot and a few too many lulls between action scenes, so you might need to be seated before and focused on a big screen to see it at its best.

Thankfully, these blemishes aren’t so significant as to deflate the movie’s prevailing mood. You might still leave the theater wishing you cared more about Amrit (Lakshya), a one-man-army commando, and Tulika ( Tanya Maniktala ), a mostly defenseless woman on whose behalf Amrit creams a few dozen heavies. A rowdy audience and/or loud sound system will likely give theatergoers the extra boost needed to keep this helium-light genre exercise moving.

“Kill” still feels long at 105 minutes. Produced by Bollywood figurehead Karan Johar, “Kill” skimps on many of the flamboyant melodramatic touches that have come to define contemporary Indian cinema for Western audiences. Moreover, there’s barely a conventional reason to root for Amrit as he tears through car after car of indistinct baddies. He meets but does not sweep Tulika off her feet after she celebrates her engagement—to someone else. She wants to show respect to her father (Harsh Chhaya), who, like her fiancé, disappears too quickly to matter. 

There are additional supporting characters, like Viresh ( Abhishek Chauhan ), Amrit’s best buddy and fellow National Security Guardsman, and Fani ( Raghav Juyal ), a brash young kidnapper who gets hung up on Tulika. They’re ultimately neither so interesting nor as important as the sheer spectacle of watching Lakshya and Chauhan flip, tumble, and hurl themselves around various train compartments. 

Oh and Sheikh’s choreography gets a better showcase here than in their recent Yash Raj Spy Universe collaborations, like “ Tiger 3 ,” whose action scenes were more focused on action figure poses and computer-generated mayhem. “Kill” frequently delivers the sort of action one might expect from a movie with an action-verb title, though one sometimes wishes that more time was spent with the train’s many other anxious passengers.

In theory, you don’t need to worry about the generic setup that Bhat and co-writer Ayesha Syed provide. Then again, several dramatic moments, both major and minor, drag when they should coast to the next big sequence. A handful of action scenes feel light and even look monotonous, partly given the limitations of the movie’s primary setting. These set pieces tend to be brisk and engaging but aren’t so relentless or intense that they’re entirely disarming.

The brawl that comes about a half hour into the movie feels like a wasted opportunity, despite strong choreography, given the distracting presence of other commuters, who aren't cowering in the background but rather in close proximity to Lakshya and his opponents. A handful of crucial moments, where Amrit rallies or remembers why he’s fighting, look more like well-mounted rehearsal footage. You don’t need to be a Johar diehard to notice that an extra dash of melodrama is missing here, though his most recent rom-com, “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani,” is worth your time. 

“Kill”’s high-concept scenario is mostly a fun idea in search of better execution. To their credit, the on-camera actors look good when they work each other over, and the filmmakers do a fine job of not only keeping pace with their performers but also cutting their fights in such a way that you never have to strain your neck to see whatever’s just out of frame. The sound design also keeps a certain ambient tension up, and the spare use of music on the soundtrack keeps you wondering about what might be coming up next. Better yet, the blood and gore that erupts from a range of good and bad characters is also effectively surprising, at least on a moment-to-moment basis.

“Kill” often moves well enough that you might not care about the various bumps along the way until the end credits roll, by which point you’ll hopefully be too high on adrenaline to care. In thinking about why audiences should prioritize movie-watching in movie theaters, one shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the pure lizard-brain pleasures of watching a no-frills crowd-pleaser deliver exactly what its title promises on as big a screen as you can find. Isn’t that what you crave from a good beat-the-heat summer movie, beyond air conditioning and concession stand treats? “Kill” tics off most of the essential boxes for a good popcorn flick, making it easy to resist but harder to pass up.

Simon Abrams

Simon Abrams is a native New Yorker and freelance film critic whose work has been featured in  The New York Times ,  Vanity Fair ,  The Village Voice,  and elsewhere.

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Film Credits

Kill (2024)

115 minutes

Lakshya as Amrit

Tanya Maniktala as Tulika

Raghav Juyal as Fani

Abhishek Chauhan as Viresh

Ashish Vidyarthi as Beni

• Nikhil Nagesh Bhat

Screenwriter

• Ayesha Syed

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The Big Picture

• Kill is a bold, fresh action film that subverts audience expectations with its massive twists and turns that plays out right alongside its excessive amount of blood and gore.
• It's a brutally violent film that embraces this to the fullest, making it not suitable for those who are uncomfortable with dismemberment.
• While the film starts off slower, once the action kicks in, it never lets up, maintaining a hyper-violent and unpredictable tone throughout.

Every so often, there comes an action film that is so confident, so bold, and so fresh, that you just can't help but believe that there is hope in the genre beyond just big budget blockbusters starring your favorite actors who once played a superhero. Films like The Raid , John Wick , Mad Max: Fury Road , and Everything Everywhere All at Once all come to mind as works that were destined to change the way action movies are made. The same can now be said of Nikhil NagesBhat 's Kill .

The film kicks off when commando Amrit ( Lakshya ) hitches a ride on a train with his best buddy Viresh ( Abhishek Chauhan ) in order to save the love of his life, Tulika ( Tanya Maniktala ), from an arranged marriage. Unfortunately, Amrit's plans are derailed when a crew of bandits, led by the crazed Fani ( Raghav Juyal ), storm the train and take all of its passengers hostage . With the odds stacked against them, Amrit and Viresh decide to take matters into their own hands by taking out the gangsters one-by-one in the bloodiest and most violent ways possible.

Kill (2023)

'kill' is a movie best watched knowing as little as possible.

Kill is a movie that plays best if you know as little about the plot as possible . Don't watch any of the trailers and do not even think about looking up any spoilers on social media. Sure, the premise sounds like it's just Die Hard or The Raid on a train, and to a point, it kind of is. Yet that doesn't stop this film from constantly subverting the audience's expectations as it throws in some massive twists and turns alongside the excessive amount of blood and gore. If you think that the latest Equalizer and John Wick films will be the most violent action flicks you'll see all year, think again. Every single action sequence feels like an adrenaline shot of martial arts, knife fights, and body parts being dismembered. Heads are being bashed until they no longer even look human, and skulls are lit on fire like the goons are the human versions of Ghost Rider. At times it feels like a fever dream, but in the best way possible. It's the kind of bonkers action flick that is best seen with as big of a crowd as possible.

With the level of violence on display, it is more than safe to say that Kill is not for the faint of heart . This is a film that embraces its brutally violent nature and wants the audience to do the same. Those expecting something light or aren't too comfortable seeing bodies being dismembered may want to sit this one out. Even though Kill was made on a much lower budget than some more popular action movies, it feels big. Bhat is able to make this independent film hit like a blockbuster that has to be seen with the loudest and most vocal audience that you can possibly find.

Once the Action Kicks In, 'Kill' Never Slows Down

The opening 15 minutes of Kill are much slower than the rest and the film definitely takes some time to find its groove . Some of the melodrama feels like it's ripped straight out of some strange soap opera that you'll occasionally catch in the waiting room at the doctor's office. The lighting is almost overexposed at points, making it feel like it is a self-parody. With that being said, some of this feels intentional on Bhat's part, especially since as soon the film switches gear to the action, the hyper-violent and unpredictable tone never shifts. A lot of this is thanks to Lakysha's committed lead performance as Amrit, proving to be the ultimate badass and showing so much skill and passion for understanding what the film is going for.

'KILL's Director, Lakshya, & Raghav Juyal Talk Violence, Blood, and Making the First Genre Movie in India | TIFF

They also talk about the intense training and how the extreme action film is unlike anything previously seen in Indian cinema.

The fact that this story is still able to have a heart and give Amrit an emotional journey is another great achievement. It could have easily checked the personality of its lead character at the door and made him feel like some stoic and emotionless soldier. Instead, this film makes him feel vulnerable and human, even if he's doing things that the large majority of humanity can't possibly do. However, it is Juyal's work as the villainous Fani that stands out the most. He goes for broke, delivering a performance that perfectly encapsulates everything that works so well about Kill . Just like Lakysha, he has a massive amount of talent when it comes to showing off his martial arts skills, but even beyond that, he manages to continue to make his character become more and more unpredictable. He already feels like a massive threat within the first 30 minutes, but Juyal goes to levels that one would never even expect as the film comes closer to reaching its final destination.

Kill is every bit as insanely violent as you could hope for . It mixes melodrama, romance, and an aggressive amount of violence in ways that few filmmakers are capable of doing. This is a very specific brand of action movie, especially with its graphic nature, but genre loyalists are likely to embrace Kill as it seems destined to become a cult classic.

Kill is a film that delivers plenty of outstanding action and seems destined to become a cult classic.

• The film is confident, bold, and fresh, providing hope for the genre beyond big blockbusters.
• All of the action is like an adrenaline shot, proving to be the type of experience best seen with as big a crowd as possible.
• Both Lakysha and Raghav Juyal give great performances, going for broke in exactly the way the film needs them to.
• The film does take a while to find its groove.

Kill comes to theaters in the U.S. starting July 5. Click below for showtimes near you.

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‘Kill’ Review: The Title Says It All. Over and Over Again.

What begins as a romantic rescue becomes a blood bath when bandits on a train attack and rob passengers and our Romeo cracks multiple heads in return.

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By Jeannette Catsoulis

We are almost halfway through the Indian action extravaganza “Kill” before the title card slams onscreen, by which point its simple imperative — and the film’s entire raison d’être — has been obeyed so many times it’s essentially redundant. Much like the movie’s English subtitles: The dialogue might be in Hindi, but the language of blood and bones is universal.

Speaking it fluently is Amrit (Lakshya), a hunky military commando who has followed his childhood sweetie, Tulika (Tanya Maniktala), onto an express train to New Delhi in the hope of rescuing her from an arranged marriage. The lovebirds’ quivering reunion, however, is rudely interrupted by a horde of bandits armed with knives and hammers. What they lack in sophistication, they more than make up for in enthusiasm as they set about robbing the terrified passengers. Can Amrit and his military buddy (Abhishek Chauhan) stop them? Will the lead villain (a seductively menacing Raghav Juyal) upstage our baby-faced hero? How many objects can be inserted into a human head?

To answer these questions, the writer and director, Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, leaps into fifth gear and rarely downshifts. As Amrit arguably does more damage than the zombies in “ Train to Busan” (2016) , the cinematographer Rafey Mahmood, working with the action specialists Parvez Shaikh and Se-yeong Oh, meticulously captures near-continuous martial-arts sequences of balletic brutality. Exhausted as the actors appear, spare a thought for the film’s Foley artists , whose repertoire of squishy, crunchy and splattery sound effects must have been sorely taxed.

Manipulative to the max (one upsetting murder is almost pornographically protracted), “Kill” is dizzyingly impressive and punishingly vicious. In the press notes, the director tells us that he once slept through a similar attack by armed train robbers. No one is sleeping through this one.

Kill Rated R for 52 varieties of knife wound, one weaponized bathroom fixture and several ugly sweater vests. In Hindi, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes. In theaters.