They Will Kill You (Review): "No one is gonna cage us ever again."

Have you ever wondered what Ready or Not would feel like if it were made by the director of Kingsman, Matthew Vaughn? Probably not, but if it were, you would get They Will Kill You.

It follows a young woman named Elizabeth (Zazie Beetz) as she takes a job as a maid at a high-end hotel in New York, unaware of the satanic cult hiding within. After she is ambushed by cult members (Tom Felton, Heather Graham, ...), ready to become their next sacrifice, they quickly realise that she isn't who she claimed to be. Elizabeth's real name is Asia Reaves, an ex-convict on a mission to save her sister Maria (Myha'la) – whom she abandoned years ago – from the claws of the cult. The hunters quickly become the hunted as Asia slices her way through the cultists, but as the supposedly dead devotees reawaken and reattach their severed limbs, the rescue mission turns out to be a bit more complicated than originally thought.

Filled with slow-mo scenes that wouldn't feel out of place in an action movie and gore that feels both comedic and disgusting at the same time, They Will Kill You is a fun addition to the horror-comedy genre. Its very stylised cinematography, full of whip pans and creative camera movements, gives it a feeling of constant adrenaline. The film barely stops to catch its breath, reflecting both the antagonists' constant reviving and the main characters' struggle to fight them. It manages to use every moment of its 94-minute runtime for increasingly elaborate fight scenes, culminating in one of the most insane final acts of this year.

But the star of the show is by far the practical effects. Cult members are split in half, severed heads roll on the floor, and a disembodied eyeball crawls through a vent. They Will Kill You does not shy away from gore, constantly finding new ways to kill its cast of characters. And in a time where CGI is often seen as the cheaper and better option, this film proves that practical effects have a charm that cannot be replicated.

Sadly, one of the main issues with this movie is that it gets caught up in its own spectacle and loses sight of what should be the driving force of the plot: the bond between the two sisters. The prologue sets up a tense relationship dynamic, but the film is so preoccupied with bigger and bigger fight scenes that it doesn't take the time to develop and capitalise on it. Many characters feel underdeveloped, as the audience is given small pieces of information about them that feel like they should lead somewhere, but end up forgotten. Lily (Patricia Arquette) is the main offender of this. Her backstory is hinted at, and the relationship with her husband is set up as an important aspect of the story, yet she is sidelined in favour of more axe-wielding action from Asia.

This lack of commitment and focus is a common theme within the movie. At times, They Will Kill You feels like it is satirising its own genre, playing into common tropes, but this never goes far enough to feel intentional. Furthermore, there is an attempt at social commentary – rich white people sacrificing minorities for their own gain – though this is kept very surface level, as are most of the film's themes.

I would be remiss not to mention the film's unfortunate similarities to Ready or Not 2, which was released just a week before. The direct comparison between the two negatively affects They Will Kill You, as its concept is made to feel less unique, and if they had to choose, most audiences nowadays are more likely to watch a sequel than an original movie. Both movies have their strengths and weaknesses, but the unfortunate timing of their release dates just makes them more apparent.

But even with all the negative aspects I have discussed, the film nevertheless remains an incredibly punchy, gore-filled horror-comedy. Moments in the movie had the audience reacting loudly, as if the cinema had suddenly turned into a boxing stadium, fully drawn into the action. So if that sounds intriguing, Kirill Sokolov's They Will Kill You is a must-watch cinematic experience.