Film Review: Killers

Posted in Film, Reviews
By Sam Bathe on 16 Jun 2010

The chick-flick men genuinely enjoy if something of a futile beast. Heartbreaker did a pretty good job, a better job than anything in recent memory certainly, but Killers’ hope to make it two for two in June is looking like being an empty threat.

About a couple for whom a few years after settling down it is revealed that the husband (Kutcher) used to be a contract killer, boring old suburban life take a turn for the dangerous as when Spencer’s former contact goes south, suddenly their entire neighbourhood is out to get them, and with bullets flying in from every angle, can he prove his mettle and save their family a threat on their lives that has been a long time coming.

Billed as an aforementioned chick-flick for both sexes, with men occupied by the action scenes while women flitter over Kutcher’s abs and the fairy tale romance, sadly in practice there a whole lot less going on on-screen. The action is tame and devout of any real thrill or excitement, while the comedy falls flat and you’ll be lucky get a handful of laughs over the duration.

Quickly becoming typecast, not only in rom-coms but as neurotic, OCD characters , it’s unfortunately more of the same from Heigl; an unimaginative and unprogressive performance in a film without a wisp of ambition. Heigl has a lot of charisma herself so it’s frustrating with her casting choices that she doesn’t give herself a chance to show it.

Similarly there’s no real spark between Heigl and Kutcher. While he does an adequate job as the male lead, the interplay between the two feels forced and unnatural and certain each have shared better on screen romances in the past.

It is, however, nice to see Tom Selleck back on screen, and himself plus Heigl’s on screen mother played by Catherine O’Hara and on of Spencer’s adversaries in the form of Rob Riggle also have some good moments but aren’t given any where near as much screen time as they deserve.

Certainly there’s a level of fun to be had in the ridiculous circumstances that surround Killers, but with an unfocused narrative it’s the flaws that win out. Instead of growing in tension and excitement as Spencer’s secret life is revealed, instead the film ramps up on the absurd. The real problem though is that it never really goes anywhere. Killers feels like the build-up of Mr And Mrs Smith, only that’s the whole movie and the chronic lack of a third act when even the second act is wafer thin is almost unforgivable.

★★★★★

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