Lately, there have been a lot of hitmen movies. It just seems that writers and directors have found this is a good genre to delve into.  Sometimes they are not very good, but other times they are a pleasant surprise. That’s the case with The Killer’s Game. It’s a hilarious bloody good time. JJ Perry did something different with this genre and I was invested in it from beginning to end. He turned this genre on its head.

Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) is a hitman in Budapest, Hungry. When he is first seen he is executing a hit on a Russian gangster who was taking in a ballet. While there a young dancer notices him, but chaos ensues as the gangster’s bodyguards notice what happened to him. They started looking around for the man responsible. Gunfire starts raining in the hallways causing unrest in the crowd and on the stage. Everyone started running around like a chicken with its head cut off. In the process of escaping the scene of the crime, Bautista’s character runs into Maize (Sophia Boutella), the lead dancer of the ballet.  She falls and he helps her by carrying her out of the venue. Since then he is smitten with her.  This is the moment that he thought would change his life. Little did he know something else may be threatening his very existence. A diagnosis of a terminal disease called CJD.

Perry has changed the hitman genre for the better. Based on the novel by Jay Bonasinga and script by James Coyne and Simon Kinberg, This was quite different from most hitmen films I’ve seen. When I was watching this film I thought to myself I knew where it was going. It seemed so obvious, but it wasn’t. They turned this genre on its head. It had a plot point that was a complete surprise to me, which I was glad to see. That’s only one of the good things about this movie.

There are a lot of characters in this film. That is part of the fun of it. Because of a major plot point, the characters start coming out of the woodwork. Most of them are assassins. They are coming after the main character played by Bautista. Using the title as a way to explain this there are contract killers and they are all part of the killing game if you. Zvi (Ben Kingsley) is Bautista’s character handler, but there is another operator in the area where the movie mainly takes place and she is Antoinette (Pom Klementieff) she hires killers to go after Bautista’s character. There are Goyang Gang, the Party Girls (Shaina West, Lucy Cork), Botas, Spanish for Boots (Marko Zaror, Rory & Angus, the MacKenzie Brothers (Scott Atkins, Drew McKentyre), and Lovedahl (Terry Crews). These are all other hitmen who are in the same game as the main character. The sequences involving these hired killers are hilarious. Also, the very brutal and bloody kills are absolutely crazy during these scenes. My jaw was open at how crazy these scenes were.

One of the good things about a film of this nature is that there are subtitles that help the viewer understand what various characters are saying and tags of who all the characters are. I like it when filmmakers do this because it helps to inform you as an audience member watching the movie much better. The introduction of all the characters was done in a fun way. The main character’s story is the main reason to watch this film though.  If you don’t care about him, you’re not going to care about this movie. His journey is worthwhile though. Who can’t get behind a man in love?

Dave Bautista has come a long way since he was a WWE entertainer. His comedic chops are pretty darn good. One particular scene he has with his co-star from Guardians of the Galaxy Pom Klementieff who played Mantis opposite his Drax. You can tell they have a short hand with each other and their exchange in this scene is pretty funny. Klementieff throughout the film is funny. Bautista shows some range in this movie though because he has a relationship and during these scenes opposite Boutella he has to be softer and more timid. I believed him in these more touching and moving scenes. He has truly grown as an actor over the years.

The Killer’s Game is a different take on the hitman genre that is quite hilarious.  The main story has a genuinely moving love story, but also a character trying to overcome a mistake he made. The supporting cast filled with all the different assassins was pretty cool. They had me in stitches throughout this movie. Klementieff being the best of the bunch. Bautista and Boutella though seemed to be made for each other. I believed they were truly in love. That’s the main thing about this film. If you don’t  buy their love you probably won’t like the movie. I bought their love hook line and sinker. I think people will have a good time at this twisted spin on the hitman genre.

4 stars

Dan Skip Allen