 | |
List Price: $14.95 | | Label: Weinstein Company
Salesrank: 43394
Released: August 12, 2008 |
| Our Price: $2.98 |
| Used Price: $1.78 |
|
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
How far would you go to save the one you love? Stellan Skarsgard (Exorcist: The Beginning) stars as Eddie Argo, a veteran cop investigating a string of bizarre serial murders. In each case, the victims were forced to make the unconscionable decision to save themselves or the life of a loved one. Now Eddie and his rookie partner (Melissa George, Alias) must stop the carnage before the killer strikes too close to home. Featuring Selma Blair (Hellboy) in a terrifying performance, The Killing Gene is a "thought-provoking and brutal horror-thriller that keeps the audience on the edge of the seat until the gripping conclusion" (evildread.com).
Description of The Killing Gene:
A murderer with a bizarre formula and a thirst for revenge is loose in The Killing Gene, a trendy-looking thriller that has a few genuine surprises up its sleeve. In a dark, dank metropolis (shot in Belfast), hard-bitten veteran cop Stellan Skarsgard is paired with a svelte new partner (Melissa George) straight out of a hand-lotion ad. Their by-the-numbers bickering needs to end soon, because the killer is carving weird symbols in the flesh of the victims, and a Seven-like system is behind it all. There's no denying the oppressive atmosphere here, although by contrast Seven included recognizable signs of human life, such as humor and sadness, which this film noticeably lacks. More damagingly to the cop-movie point, the two leads are miscast, with George too deft for her one-note role and the able Skarsgard trying too hard to fit into the mold of the gruff American detective who gargles with rocks. He's an excellent actor, but the accent seems to have distracted him from concentrating on the performance. Selma Blair turns in an interesting turn as a woman connected with a former case, but her dark madness alone isn't enough to lift the film above its disagreeable level. --Robert Horton
The Killing Gene Reviews:
Good lord, this is an awful movie... 
2009-10-18 - I nearly lost it with the trailer of this film. Seriously... a torture-killer with puzzles for the police to crack and the original title "WAS?" Are you joking? Is this a Wayan's Bros. parody of the SAW franchise? Sadly, no. This is supposedly a hardcore horror/thriller. However, there is no tension. There is no sense of forboding. There is no logic. There is just a string of scenes leading up to a climax of, well, nothing. If you see this film, ask yourself this simple question: Once the killer is revealed, how did said villain get people into the "traps?" It just does not make any sense. Why two stars? Well, I am a sucker for Melissa George, so sue me. Other than that, this is an unoriginal, outdated, juvenile, trainwreck of a movie. Honestly one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Two undeserving stars.
A Nightmare Of Brutality With A Surprising Dimension Of Emotions 
2009-04-19 - One of the most harrowing and psychologically disturbing torture-themed horror movies out there, The Killing Gene (aka W-Delta-Z) is one that was good upon watching it, but that I actually came to appreciate more in the days following it, as events and ideas played around in my mind and I looked at it in different ways. On the surface an overwhelmingly nihilistic movie, you realize after a while that there are subtle aspects and rays of imperfect light peaking through all the vicious darkness that add an unexpected texture.
A jaded police veteran (Stellan Skarsgard of 'The Exorcist: The Beginning') and a young rookie (Melissa George of '30 Days Of Night' and 'Turistas') are the main investigators who uncover a ghastly trail of serial double-murders where in each case, one victim appears to have been tortured into killing the other, usually someone close to them. The case leads down a dark and bloody trail of clues and possible motivations, and surprisingly, the mastermind behind the double-murders turns out to be far from the most vicious character in the series of events. The Killing Gene starts painting a very cynical, very unflattering portrait of humanity, full of loathesome low-lifes and utterly battered-down, mentally defeated would-be good guys, and it's not easy to shrug it off because it's done so damn well. But there are glimmers of other things in there amidst all the raw evil too: shades of characters who've done terribly the wrong thing but thought at the time it was for the right reason; a burgeoning compassion that emerges only in a desperate scene of viciousness; and the strange attempt at a path to redemption taken by a character who was bent into something dark by events absolutely beyond their control. The Killing Gene could have ended up being one of the more depressing movies ever made, but miraculously avoids it and settles on grim and tragic. I don't know about others, but I don't mind tragic or sad movies, but outright depressing I can do without.
The acting is magnificent, especially given the demands of the roles. Skarsgard in particular turns in an award-worthy performance. The movie isn't for everyone, because the brutality level is beyond extreme, but it works for the film. A few of the recent torture-horror movies have been so busy trying to out-brutal every other movie in existance that they've forgotten about everything else, including not just being an extreme movie but being a Good extreme movie. Killing Gene is among the best of its crop though, scary and extremely well done.
No exit
2009-01-08 - The premise of Sartre's "No Exit" is that hell is other people. The flip side plays in "The Killing Gene" directed by Tom Shankland. Hell is choosing to kill someone you love in place of yourself.
The premise begins in a research laboratory with animals. Put one wild card animal in a cage with a group of like kind: snake in with monkeys. Would one monkey sacrifice his life for the others? The research says no. The researcher said the monkeys become just genes. Then two lab assistants decide a twist of provocation on people, beginning with the third lab assistant (Selma Blair) and her mother. They savagely rape and torture her until she kills her mother to stop the hideous assault. The brief snippets of these brutal, bloody hours are not for the squeamish.
Then the serial killings begin through twists and turns of who does what to whom. It becomes a grisly story of extreme betrayal of love and trust. Or are we turned into "genes" in the savage grip of shrieking pain, and it becomes every person for him or herself.
The two newly paired detectives, veteran cop Eddie Argo, played by Stellan Skarsgard (who performs a 180 from his recent role in "Mamma Mia") and Melissa George, a terrified rookie in desperate circumstances but who has the guts to do her job and do it well. This is a detective squad taken right from the set of "Shield"--gritty, profane, probably dirty, and weary and numb from the rawness and violence of their daily lives. As Eddie tells his partner, "There are always shades of gray."
The story is truly film-noir with dark, ugly streets, littered, grafittied halls and walls, dirty, stinking settings in most scenes. So add this bizarre form of serial killing for this squad to solve. Nothing is as it seems.
Sometimes too much of a good thing is not so good. The music--very heavy and atmospheric often over powers the dialog, leaving the viewer to figure out the whispery mumblings of some of the words. However, most films that exude dark and ominous settings overdo it: this one does Dark perfectly.
The conclusion, like most of the story, is an unexpected twist and is past "edgy." Surprisingly, this is one scene played with restraint.
If you don't already know the extremes human beings will take for pain avoidance, then "The Killing Gene" will be a provocative film. But even amongst all the bleakness, there will always exist that one human who will not act according to genes.
What would it take? How much pain can you stand? 
2008-12-24 - Do you love the mother of your unborn child? Your son? Your grandmother? Twin brother? Lover?
Could you ever imagine killing them? How much torture and pain would it take to make you hit the switch that would kill them? You think you're a good person who would gladly sacrifice yourself for your loved ones.Would you? Or would the human sense of self preservation win out, causing you to beg your torturer to kill them in your place?
"The Killing Gene" puts this to the test a la "Saw" and "Seven". Although it's not quite on the same level as those two films,if you liked them you'll enjoy this one.Not overly heavy in blood and gore.Filmed in a gritty,realistic and sometimes brutal crime drama style that is very appealing.A team of cops try to solve a series of serial killings that end up being tied to a past case.Is the killer serving justice in committing these murders? Are the killings warranted?
Filmed in Ireland and America.Big name stars.Selma Blair(Hellboy 1&2,The Fog['05],Cruel Intentions), Stellan Skarsgard(Pirates of the Caribbean,King Arthur,Exorcist:The Beginning)and Melissa George(30 Days of Night,Turistas,Amityville Horror['05],Alias) to name a few.All are fantastic in their roles.A very engaging movie with a major twist ending.
Gritty thriller with a bit of gore
2008-12-07 - I gave the film 4 stars because of the original and somewhat novel script, although as a previous reviewer said, it was certainly reminiscent of Saw and Hostel. If you didn't like those films, this probably won't be for you. I watched the unrated version which may have had more on screen gore, violence, torture than the rated version. Both versions are on the disc.
I won't spend much time revisiting the plot of the film, since it has ably been done by a previous reviewer. The premise is a serial killer wants to prove a mathematical equation, and is using human guinea pigs to prove or disprove the theory.
The theory, is that the individual does not act out of loyalty or love, when given a choice, and will choose to kill a loved one, before dying. The detectives are in a race against time to stop the killer before the equation is completed in human trials, hence the original UK title WAZ, or the killing gene.
The director wanted to preserve a European feel to the film, as opposed to a big budget glossy Hollywood production. He succeeded, making a darker, grittier, seedier flick than a Hollywood production, although I found the dialogue a bit hard to decipher at the beginning of the film, especially with Stellan Skarsgard's accent.
Skarsgard is an accomplished actor, captured the persona of a gruff brooding NYPD detective well, so it may have been the attempt to capture background noises of a big city, during exterior shots, that contributed to the effect.
I thought a number of the British actors pulled off a great job as American street tough gangsters, and was surprised to see Selma Blair of Hellboy II with an integral role in the film.
I must caution I gave this film high marks because I had never heard of the film, had diminished expectations, and was pleasantly surprised at the results. If you don't mind a bit of gratuitous violence it works as a psychological thriller, and has a few somewhat predictable plot twists.
They did a great job of fleshing out the script, and made a seamless transition cutting from NYC exterior shots around Harlem's Morningside Heights, capturing the city's skyline and interior shots in Belfast, Ireland
I'm not sure if it was intentional, but some of the NYC street scenes paid homage to Death Wish, with a new twist. I look forward to seeing other films by director Tom Shankland.
