- Release year: 2023
- Director: Moritz Mohr.
- Producers: Zainab Azizi, Wayne Fitzjohn, Dan Kagan, Alex Lebovici, Roy Lee, Stuart Manashil, Sam Raimi and Simon Swart.
- Screenplay by: Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers.
- Cinematography by: Peter Matjasko.
- Music by: Ludvig Forssell.
Synopsis: a young man goes on a bloody rampage to avenge his family in a dystopian world.
Shotgun Commentary: John Wick (2014) with Hot Fuzz (2007) humour and The Boys’ (2019-present) level of violence.
Review
Boy Kills World follows Boy (Bill Skarsgård) in his journey of revenge. When he was a child, an evil dictator killed his family and made him mute and deaf. After surviving the brutal attack, Boy trains hard for years in order to get his revenge and kill the woman responsible for his tragedy.
The perfect mix
As far as vengeance stories go, this one has enough decent twists and turns to make it stand out from the countless other narratives of the genre. Additionally, the film offers a unique product born from a perfect symbiosis across departments. The result is a flashy feature that will satiate your thirst for blood, have you laughing out loud, and keep your mouth wide open in astonishment.
The writing is magnificent, a script inspired by all the relevant pop-culture classics with so much wit and charisma that it sucks you into the story almost automatically and doesn’t let go. The dark humour and use of ridiculous situations to ease the intensity of the violence are placed exactly at the right moments, lightening the mood without outstaying their welcome.
Of course, a story can only be as good as its storytelling, luckily for this film, the editing is absolutely fantastic. It enhances the comedy as well as the action sequences, providing quality entertainment and non-stop enjoyment.
The physical part of the story carries a lot of the weight. In this aspect, the choreographers display an inordinate amount of talent, playing with the limits of gore and humour, bold movements and impressive stunts, all this with the aid of a talented makeup department that makes everything all the more impressive.
Looks are key
The connection between this movie and the references are most clear in its aesthetics. The video-game-ish movements of camera and characters, in addition to the soundtrack and some sound effects, give the narrative an arcade vibe similar to that in Bunraku (2010)
In both cases, the bold colours, special effects and character appearance make you feel like you are watching the most detailed gameplay ever. Graphics and styling aside, the settings are a work of art in their own right. While Bunraku is closer to a pop-up book, Boy Kills World takes inspiration from fictional words like Panem from The Hunger Games (2012), thus moving away from a more literary technique to a more cinematographic one.
Dead-on cast
Last but not least, the cast. The choices made in this regard are impeccable. Skarsgård is a great choice to portray the Boy. His big eyes not only convey all the emotions he can’t otherwise express, but also add to the comedic situations. The range of mania and kindness he is capable of expressing simultaneously is a wonder, promising a great future in his career.
As for the Boy’s friends, Basho (Andrew Koji) and Benny (Isaiah Mustafa), they are chaotic but adorable. It is a lovely surprise to see Koji playing a character in the opposite side of the spectrum from his previous blockbuster role, Kimura (Bullet Train, 2022). Basho is endearing, insane and talkative, balancing the trio of misfits well with the Boy and Benny, their reasonable albeit unintelligible partner.
All in all, Boy Kills World is the perfect first feature. So good, in fact, that one can’t help but wonder if Mohr has been a film director in another life too. His brilliance makes it clear that he has an incredible future ahead, one worth following closely. If you enjoy action films and dark humour, this will be your next favourite film to obsess about, no doubt about it.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Don’t believe in appearances.
- Rooting for a killer doesn’t make you any safer.
- Macaroons are awesome, indeed.
Source: Boy Kills World (Moritz Mohr, 2023).
What’s your take? Have you watched Boy Kills World? Are you as hyped about it as I am?
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I’m absolutely 100% as hyped! It really is a delighting combination of spectacular fighting choreography and cinematography in the level of The Raid (wink to Yayan Ruhian, who is never not awesome), with great humor (heightened by the voice of Archer, also awesome) and OMG is June27 not the raddest nemesis ever?
I had seen Jessica Roth before in Happy Death Day, and knowing that she’s still doing random projects like this is very, very cool. All the characters are amazing and the fact that it’s the director’s first feature? Absolutely insane!