As you can tell from the title, this film is not for everyone and especially anyone who can faint at the sight of a drop of blood. I have seen plenty of films with violence in them, in various genres of films, including Westerns, Sci -Fi, etc. and some are more vicious than others. There is one scene towards the end of the film where I squirmed in my theater seat as if I could feel the damage to my limbs, forgetting for a moment I was watching a film. The scene features Yayan Ruhian (The Raid: Redemption) and Bill Skarsgård (John Wick: Chapter 4, It). There is one prior scene that is not easy to watch, but I could predict what was going to happen by one actor’s stance. It seems as if it was done for comedic purposes. For anyone who totally enjoys watching this type of film, this is for you.
At times, there are stories written to ramp up the degree of how much blood can be spilled, but that is not the only thing needed for a good film – the script must match. Debuting feature film director and co-writer Moritz Mohr (with Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers) has several positive points to the film, but overall, the script appears cobbled together from various other films seen before. I will even compare a couple of scenes playing out like soap operas/TV series with a family dynasty setting and the drama among them. There is one scene where I questioned how the character knew something, and felt something missing in the script, or in the editing.
If a film fan does not mind sitting through some predictability, then they will overlook this and just enjoy the action and martial arts fights (which are excellent), set it in a dystopian world. Boy befriends Basho (Andrew Koji), a chained factory worker in the city as he heads toward the the Van Der Koys mansion. These are some very good scenes of them working together, fighting an uphill battle, with some humor.
The protagonist, “Boy” (Bill Skarsgård), goes through harsh trauma and is seen trained by a shaman (Ruhian) to take revenge on those who he believes are responsible (the Van Der Koys), learning to be a martial artist. The shaman is not kind to him, and those training scenes can also be hard to watch, despite the intent. The Van Der Koys leaders are sisters Hilda (Famke Janssen) and Melanie (Michelle Dockery). Boy is unable to hear or speak and reads lips. With that said, the film uses Boy’s inner voice (one he adapted from a video game, voiced by H. Jon Benjamin (“Bob’s Burgers”) to narrate thoughts and actions. Skarsgård delivers an excellent physical performance throughout, and the action choreography is one the stunt coordinator, Dawid Szatarski should be recognized for.
Other cast members to note are Quinn Copeland, Sharlto Copley and Brett Gelman.
The film is rated R and is one hour and 55 minutes. Boy Kills World opens in theaters April 26.
Source: Roadside Attractions
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