 |  | I guess I was expecting more. |  |
It's been a while since I've seen a really good serial killer movie on par with SE7EN or Silence of the Lambs. It's a tricky genre to get right, and Killer Gene manages to get it about three-quarters right with interesting characters and an intriguing motivation for the action. But something about the plotting and the artificiality of "science" introduced into the story prevents "Gene" from joining the upper ranks. A diverting enough film, certainly more intelligent and engaging than, say, Untraceable, but in the words of Maxwell Smart, it missed it by "that much."
September 15, 2008Movie made with a hand-held camera. Causes instant nausea and headache. What's with that, really? My cheap Sony camcorder has Anti-Shake feature and could film it better. I can't watch shaky movies and give them the lowest rating possible.
Unless shaky flicks are your thing, just forget it.
September 15, 2008| | | Convoluted yet engrossing thriller | |
"The Killing Gene" stars Melissa George as rookie detective Helen O'Mara who is paired with veteran Eddie Argo [Stellan Skarsgard] who is reputed to be a by-the-book cop. They find themselves on the trail of a mysterious killer who seems to target members of a local gang notorious for their acts of violence, each of whom is murdered and carved with "W Delta Z". As they dig deeper, they find that the killings are all related and Helen's in-depth investigation reveals a troubling aspect to the case that is linked to an old case, one which Det Argo would rather not revisit.
This is quite a compelling thriller that makes the viewer think and try to sort out the clues that reveal the motives behind the gruesome murders. There are scenes of torture here that are reminiscent of movies like Saw and Hostel, and disturbingly one involving a kid. The basic premise here has to do with retribution, and this theme is truly convincingly portrayed. The two leads as portrayed by Skarsgard and George are credible in their roles, especially Skarsgard, and finally, there is Selma Blair in one of the most intense roles of her career thus far. Without revealing too much of the plot, I would recommend this movie for those who like compelling thrillers with twists.
August 21, 2008What previews and clips I'd seen of The Killing Gene (also known as W Delta Z) made the film look like a bit more brutal variation of Seven, which seemed interesting enough. Sadly, this is far from being anywhere close to that classic thriller, or practically anything else in the genre either for that matter. The Killing Gene stars Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting, Deep Blue Sea, the original Insomnia) and Melissa George (30 Days of Night, Turistas, Amityville Horror) as cops investigating a bizarre murder in which a victim had an unusual mathematical formula carved into her body. Soon enough, more bodies begin piling up, leading to some revelations and more bloody mayhem. Nearly every bit of momentum that The Killing Gene manages to build up gets squandered, as what could have been an intense, psychological drama instead gets relegated into a torture flick that borrows heavily from all the Saw's and Hostel's to come before it. That being said, most of The Killing Gene is an exercise in sadism that could have been something more, but instead is a sadly disappointing bore with an ending that will definitely make you squirm (and what happens here is something that has definitely been seen a little too much in these types of flicks as of late). Skarsgard and George are good in the leads, as are Selma Blair, Ashley Walters, and Tom Hardy in smaller roles. All in all, if the torture brand of the horror genre is your thing, you'll more than likely dig The Killing Gene, but for those of us who thought that this would be a good psychological thriller with some edge, you're better off looking elsewhere.
August 18, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
Daily Birthdays
(4 reviews)