Going into Kirill Sokolov’s They Will Kill You, my thought was that its biggest hurdle might be timing. Another female-led action flick following on the heels of two excellent ones, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come and Pretty Lethal, it was going to have a tough time setting itself apart. Well, that’s not really the issue as its problems go far deeper than that. For sure, the slickly-made horror scores points for style and Zazie Beetz’s breakneck performance, but once the novelty wears off there’s not much else to hold on to.
Beetz is pretty badass in the role of Asia Reaves, an ex-con released from prison for shooting her abusive Dad. She abandoned her younger sister Maria (Myha’la) in the process, and now years later is on the hunt to find her. That leads Asia to the luxury high-rise apartment, The Virgil, which has an ominous history. Posing as a housekeeper to get inside, Asia discovers the place is overrun by rich, immortal satanists, led by Lilith Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette), and must fight her way through these elitists to find Maria and get the Hell out of dodge.
The opening 30 minutes of They Will Kill You will be like catnip to hardcore fans of Hong Kong action cinema, with obvious homages to John Woo, Tsui Hark, and other masters of the genre. Asia, who apparently went to a prison where they taught classes in The Raid, has emerged from her stint with a high proficiency in martial arts combat against multiple foes. She slices and dices the cultists (played by Heather Graham, Tom Felton, and more) only for them to keep coming back for more. Poor Graham, who plays Sharon, has her head lopped off so many times and is literally reduced to just an eyeball, which rolls around and just keeps on livin’ its best life. Pretty weird, and a funny sight gag although the joke wears out pretty fast.
The offbeat tone is a plus, but unfortunately, They Will Kill You loses steam the further it delves into the paranormal horror aspects, leaving behind the flashy kung fu action. It’s a shame, too, because the film is perfectly set up to be similar to The Raid, or a film such as Boss Level, with the hero fighting their way up multiple floors of increasing intensity. But that never really happens (even though we learn each floor is uniquely sinful, such as the Fuck Floor), and the fights become repetitively gruesome, sapping the film of all of the energy it had in the kick-ass opening minutes. There’s also a lack of genuine stakes, and a key subplot involving Lilith’s deceptive husband (Paterson Joseph) feels like an afterthought.
I think Beetz has been overlooked too long as a legit action star, but They Will Kill You should turn that around. She’s dynamic physically, charismatic as Hell, and delivers when expressing Asia’s regret over abandoning her sister. Beetz shoulders most of the emotional load, and transitions easily as the film swerves into body horror and slapsticky comedy.
Credit to Sokolov for the use of practical effects and buckets of blood, which should keep the gore hounds happy. The film is well shot, with DP Isaac Bauman pulling some clever lighting tricks, and making the best use of tight quarters during Asia’s most claustrophobic fights. While They Will Kill You is slickly made and looks great, it fails to get the difficult mix of horror, comedy, kung fu, and social satire just right. The result is a film that starts off hot but quickly dims to a faint glow.
They Will Kill You is in theaters now.
