KILL LIST

UK, 2011, 95 minutes, Colour.
Neil Maskell, My Anna Buring, Michael Smiley.
Directed by Ben Wheatley.

Ben Wheatley is a director, especially a small budget films, who gained a strong reputation in the UK. Apart from these films, he also directed number of television films and episodes, including Dr Who.

He received something of a cult reputation for this film and for its successor, Sightseers, and then for his violent interpretation of English history, A Field in England.

While this film initially shows the ordinary life of a hitman, it moves into his being persuaded to go back to his violent career, invasions of homes in robberies, and to a situation where everything goes wrong – only for it to be revealed that he is being manipulated by a cult. While this development had some viewers getting irritated; many others who felt that the film genre was changing too much - though with echoes of The Wicker Man. Nevertheless, Ben Wheatley continues to be an influence in small-budget British cinema.

1. A film about killing? Contract killers? Ordinary people but doing extraordinary contracts?

2. Contemporary Britain, ordinary families and their ups and downs, employment? Repercussions of employment on families?

3. The work of the director, his bizarre themes, his interest in horror?

4. The realism of the first part? The bizarre realism of the second part with the assassinations and the big captions? The even more bizarre third part with the sect and the wicker killings? The credibility of the plot? The director giving sufficient clues for the finale? The sign on the back of the mirror? The employers? The expectation that the employers would turn on the assassins?

5. Jay and Shell? Seemingly ordinary husband and wife, the seven year old Sam? The father and his love for his son, care for him, telling him stories? Love for his wife, the arguments and clashes? Their work and the house, in the garden? Audiences not expecting the sinister?

6. The arrival of Gal and his girlfriend? The friendships, the bonds? The girl seemingly out of place, then feeling at home? The meal? The chat? Jay and his becoming tense, the meal and the talk, turning his plate on the table, walking out? Gal and his talking with Jay? The change in mood, drinking, chatting, enjoying the company, the end of the evening?

7. Jay and Gal and their past, military, the botched job in Kiev? No revelation of what happened, but the effect, a disaster, the tension for Jay, unemployed for months? Agreeing to jobs again?

8. The interview, the sinister man? The list?

9. The going on the job, going to hotels, meals, the religious group and their singing and Jay confronting them? His flying off the handle? Gal and his peacemaking? The rooms?

10. Scouting out the victims, the caption for the priest? Coming from his home, going to the church, celebrating mass, with his parishioners, friendliness, back in the sacristy, the confrontation, his accepting his death, turning, smiling? The reason for his death?

11. The librarian, going to the shed, finding the violent tapes, pursuing him home, the money from the safe, his accepting his fate, his being bashed, Jay and his angry eruptions, his cruelty? The violent pornography as the reason for his death or not?

12. Scouting of the other men, the violent attacks, Jay and his angers, Gal and his trying to control him?

13. Jay wanting out, Gal agreeing, the going to the contractor, the slicing of Jay’s hand, his accepting this? The further list? The MP?

14. Coming to the wicker group, watching the procession, with the guns, the grounds of the MP’s house, the hanging of the girl, the clothes, the nakedness, the wicker masks? The atmosphere of the sect? Beginning to shoot, the group in pursuit, firing and escaping, in the tunnel, bashing in the door, the deaths, the shooting, the chase, catching Gal, slashing him, Jay upset, escaping, the revelation of the contractor, the members of the board? The Gal’s girlfriend as part of the group? Jay and his success in killing? The group celebrating this?

15. In the grounds of the home, the threat to Shell and Sam, Jay and his decisions?

16. The credibility of the plot, some seeming absurdities? The audience being taken in? Strong character studies? The portrayal of violence, and how ordinary citizens can become assassins, especially Gal with his Irish background, religion and Jay with his family?