KILLERS (2014)

"Inside Us Lives A Killer" is the perfect tagline to describe this picture; I could stop there but it won’t do the film justice. “Killers” is a fine example to prove that gory productions can be made in a stylish elegant way despite its heavy content of disturbing bloody scenes.

There are no twists to follow in here, the film kept a steady pattern as it unravelled the complicated human emotions between two killers and their surroundings. While it’s not so common for Indonesia and Japan to co-produce a film, I must say that it turned out quite well. The Mo Brothers previously caught my attention through another gory film. I love directors who go through all the trouble of inserting a deep meaningful plot into their gory productions. Although that may affect the brutality of the picture but it’s still way better than a gore for the sake of gore pictures.

Just like it was co-produced by the two countries, Killers’ plotline was divided between Indonesia and Japan. The film took its time to become interesting, it tried to start with a blow but it was unbearably slow until it finally picked interest. Generally speaking, the film has its own pacing problems that are hard to ignore. However, it still succeeded at conveying a meaningful message. The psychological take on serial killers had a deep effect in the main characters’ development. At some point, you would understand the directors’ aim of bringing those conflicts into an open showdown.

The narrative pattern was inserted with short sequences of dark humour that brought me to laughs. I always thought that black comedy was one of the better elements of gore productions. Talking about violence, the amount of bloody killings wasn’t exactly that high and the methods weren’t extremely brutal. I know that most people find this type of gore sick, disturbing and over the top but it’s definitely not, and I am speaking from the point of view of a splatter gore fan. This wasn’t hard-core enough but it was acceptable and enjoyable.

The acting was spot on. Kitamura Kazuki was extremely good as a professional serial killer; his aura and unique vibe made him portray the character in a perfect manner. The Indonesian male lead was also convincing but Kitamura owned the show for me. The characterization was quite deep, it was clear that the screenwriting worked its way to build a controversial relationship between two different types of killers. Their dialogue was one of the most entertaining phases throughout the whole picture.

The cinematography and directing were fine. Nonetheless, I found trouble to cope with the camera-work in the Indonesian part of the story; some shaky camera and close-ups didn’t come out right. Other than that, the whole atmosphere was rather catching.

Watch if:
-You like films about psycho killers.
-You like gory pictures with meaningful plots. Be warned however, this is not hard-core enough.

Do not watch if:
-You dislike gory productions or you can’t handle them.

“Killers” is a deep take about the surreal psychological side of serial killers. It has its own weak points but it was successful at depicting a stylish type of gore in a brutal gripping manner.

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Why did it feel like a comedy?

Something about pathetic people thinking they are "all that" makes me laugh. I don’t think I ever laughed so much watching a film focused on so much murder, blood, gore and all the other awful things you can think of.

While I was rather entertained watching, this was not enough content for an over 2 hours movie, especially since this had less depth than a puddle. And there was some good potential, don’t get me wrong. Better writing could make it into some solid psychological thriller.

The thing I enjoyed the most about the movie was how amazingly sloppy Bayu was in ALL aspects of his life. Nomura Shuhei was not much better, but some practice made him deal with issues just slightly better.

The performances were good. Kitamura Kazuki’s english delivery was so exaggerated, it added to how hilarious the whole movie was. Loved Oka Antara and his portrayal of Bayu.

I did like some directing choices, especially the opening kill and the plastic bag shots. The last scene gave me a low budget bollywood, and it was the cherry on top I needed.

Overall, I had fun, I would have liked it more if it was shorter by at least 20 minutes.

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