Failed comedy is the worst. And while “The Killer’s Game” isn’t a total wash in the laughter department (I definitely chuckled a couple of times, even if they were guilt-laden chortles), it’s a good reminder—other genres’ failures can be fun, but a bad comedy simply devolves into groan-inducing slog. First time director J.J. Perry is far better equipped with the action side of things, creating a couple of standout sequences that are entertaining with their stunts and fight choreography, but those oases stand amidst lots of obvious quips and lame character beats. The assembled cast is game and does what they can with the material, but when the vast majority of jokes are tired and most attempts at zany personas feel forced, there is a severe limitation to what is possible. “The Killer’s Game” isn’t terrible, but a lot of it is tiresome which might actually be a worse outcome.
Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) is a great assassin living in Budapest. He kills criminals and other scumbags and abides by the hitman’s code (apparently there is one) while taking on hits set up by his manager (Ben Kingsley). Joe meets and falls in love with a dancer, Maize (Sofia Boutella), and everything seems to be going great until he gets a fatal diagnosis of a degenerative neurological disorder. Not wanting to deteriorate over a few months, Joe breaks things off with Maize and takes a hit out on himself with a rival assassin manager (Pom Klementieff) so Maize will get the life insurance money. Unfortunately, it turns out there was a mix up and Joe isn’t actually sick—but the contract is still very real and now wave after wave of killers (including Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, Lee Hoon, Drew McIntyre, Lucy Cork, Daniel Bernhardt, and Shaina West) are coming to dispatch our hero.
The issue with “The Killer’s Game” is not in the filmmaking. While this is his first feature as director (after a career working in stunts and assistant directing), Perry clearly engages with the cast and gets a ton of energy from them while also working with DP Flavio Martínez Labiano. Together, they capture some nice looking shots that take advantage of the Hungarian location and actually instill more visual dynamism into the movie than most comedies (even action comedies). The actors are trying their best and seem committed to the bit (though Klementieff’s performance is oddly awkward and stilted unlike her usual turns). No, the problem lies squarely with the script by James Coyne, Simon Kinberg, and Rand Ravich (based on a book by Jay Bonansinga).
The concept of “The Killer’s Game” is…okay, if fairly derivative. There’ve been similar movies about someone trying to get taken out (1990’s “Short Time” comes to mind) but then circumstances change and they’re navigating a sea of troubles. And a bunch of different, interesting criminals converging on targets has been around in multiple works like 1969’s “The Assassination Bureau,” 2006’s “Smokin’ Aces,” and the recent “Bullet Train.” So it’s nothing new, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be bad. What makes it all such a chore is the humor is at best played out, with obvious rejoinders and one-liners landing with flops that don’t feel either genuine or ironic, but rather some awkward liminal state in between.
The characters are meant to be outrageous or goofy, but the dials never turn up enough to actually make it memorable or colorful enough. The exception is the group of Korean assassins led by Lee Hoon, who deal out great deaths (and receive some of their own) while also having odd conversations. It doesn’t feel like forced, “random” zaniness that comes in the wake of “Deadpool” or “Bullet Train” but interesting and unique characters that also bring a lot of visual style to the screen. Contrast that later with Scottish brothers who are subtitled, but the subtitles are barely cleaner versions of the Scottish slang they are using and go away halfway through their appearance. What? The joke should be the disparity between what they are saying and what the audience is being presented, and it has to be consistent in order for it to work. Ugh, now “The Killer’s Game” is having me explain comedy and nothing is worse than trying to diagram out what’s funny.
Bad horror, drama, sci-fi, and action turn into good comedy. Sure, it’s ironic and not the result of the intention, but at least it inspires some level of entertainment and even charm. Bad comedy? That just turns into embarrassment. Not all of the funny elements bomb in “The Killer’s Game,” but so much of these comic moments announce themselves loudly only to faceplant by doing exactly what’s expected, all while giving off the air that it’s being quite inventive. It’s not. There are a couple of strong action sequences and it is an impressive assembly of talent in the cast so it’s hard to outright dismiss “The Killer’s Game,” but it feels better suited for a few clips going around the internet in a few years than actually sitting through the entire movie. Perry might have a bright future directing better written action hybrids, but he needs to avoid such painfully dull scripts whose tediousness make even the best of explosions feel like a yawn.
2.5 / 5 Stars
Starring: Dave Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Ben Kingsley, Pom Klementieff, Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, Lee Hoon, Drew McIntyre, Lucy Cork, Daniel Bernhardt, Shaina West, Alex Kingston
Director: J.J. Perry
