The Killer's Game 4K 2024 Ultra HD 2160p

A former mercenary is diagnosed with a fatal disease. The hero decides to order his own death, but at the same time the killer begins to hunt for his ex-girlfriend.

User Review
The life of top European hitman Joe Fludd (Dave Batista) falls apart in one day. He learns that he is terminally ill and, not wanting to die painfully, wants to leave as a warrior and so orders his own murder. But suddenly it turns out that the hospital mixed up the tests and in fact Joe is healthy. However, the army of assassins following his trail is unstoppable.

Stuntman and stunt director J.J. Perry debuted in 2022 ironic action film “Day Shift”, shot in the style of the 80's. Then he was able to combine the spirit of Harmony Korine's hedonistic films “Vacation Bound” and “Beach Bum” with elements of 80's vampire classics like “Fright Night” and “Sunset: Vampires in Exile”. From Perry's new film, you again expect a good sense of humor and a skillful mix of different genres. But the director does not in everything justifies the expectations.

In “The Killer's Game” action is diluted with melodramatic line and comedic situations, mainly associated with extravagant images of mercenaries who took Fludd's order on himself. Among them are a squad of Asians referring to South Korean action movies, two spectacular strippers, the middle-aged McKenzie brothers (Scott Adkins and Drew Galloway), the gallant Spanish dancer El Botas, whose image is parodied by El Mariachi. Lavdal (Terry Crews), Fludd's longtime comrade, is employed as heavy artillery. For almost every hitman, the director came up with comic and gory flashbacks, demonstrating not always humane methods of work, in the hope that the viewer will forget about the far-fetched plot twist. After all, no matter how cynical money-hunters Fludd's adversaries may be, they are merely carrying out his own order. Moreover, as Joe Fludd and his handler Zvi claim, killers have their own code, observing which they do nothing wrong in the system of values they have chosen for themselves.

If we abstract from the unfortunate plot twist, because of which Joe Fludd himself is at a moral disadvantage, preventing the assassins from fulfilling their contract, the action is sure to make a favorable impression. Being an experienced stunt director, J.J. Perry is able to choose the right angles, to create a dramaturgy of the fight, in which each of the participants shows his individuality through fighting style.

For example, the McKenzie hillbilly brothers fight like in a tavern, seeking to overpower their opponent by brute force. El Botas (played by Chilean martial artist Marco Saror), on the other hand, is elegant and cunning, but does not stoop to forbidden techniques. The military-trained, textured Joe Fludd doesn't rely solely on his fists either. He actively uses explosives and firearms, preferring not to take risks when he is not sure of the outcome of the fight. Dave Batista's charisma helps reconcile the questionable beginning, as the source of his troubles is Fludd himself. Only the first hitmen who found him, the protagonist offered to leave, but the rest were destroyed without mercy.

The contrast to the brutal but exciting combat episodes is a beautiful love line between the protagonist and the dancer Maisie. Sofia Boutella, who played partly herself, is sweet and charming, although after numerous action movies it is a bit unusual to see Boutella in a romantic role. Outstanding British actor Ben Kingsley, as always, is wonderful, literally from nothing creating the image of a legendary hitman, because of age moved to curators. In joint scenes with Dave Batista, Kingsley tries not to pull the blanket over himself, invariably remaining in the role of a caring older comrade.

Over the image of the foul-mouthed Antoinette, who organized the order for Joe Fludd, the director could have worked harder. Not only that J.J. Perry did not use the fighting skills of Pom Klementieff (the actress has a belt in taekwondo), but also failed to individualize Antoinette, coming up with the most abstract heroine. Although some of the audience will find it a funny joke that Dave Batista's longtime partner in the Marvel movie universe is now not protecting Drax the Destroyer, but dreams of killing him.

Terry Crews embodied the most charismatic opponent of Joe Fludd - imposing Lovedil, in whose character strict adherence to the code of killers and friendly sympathy for Fludd neighbors with greed. Daniel Bernhard as the head of Radovan's mercenary squad is also curious, referring the viewer to Peter Malota's “Finish Them All”. Unlike Lovedil, Bernhard's character is not constrained by any morality and is ready to kill even his own people.

“The Killer's Game” did not come out as whole as ‘The Day Shift’. Spoil it and inappropriate youth humor in a couple of episodes. But J.J. Perry once again proved his ability to shoot a fascinating crossover, even if this time not all the components of the movie work as they should.

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (80.5 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.00:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.00:1

Info Audio

#English: Dolby TrueHD with Dolby Atmos 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
#English: Dolby Digital Plus with Dolby Atmos 5.1
#Spanish (Latino): Dolby Digital 5.1

Info Subtitles

English SDH, Bulgarian, Spanish.