The Killer’s Game Review – 90s Schlock With a Modern Twist

The Killer’s Game represents another step towards Dave Bautista’s dream of starring in a romantic comedy. There’s definitely a prominent romantic subplot here, but the former WWE superstar only gets to play between fight scenes. The love story, along with every other element, sits just to the side of the main attraction. This movie is a refreshingly old-fashioned action thriller with just enough charm to escape the yawning void of meaning at its center.

Director J. J. Perry delivers The Killer’s Game as his second feature. He’s much more accustomed to stunt work, which becomes very clear while watching the film. Perry’s other film, Day Shift, is similarly flawed. It’s as if he’s two people with vastly different talents. He handles the action set pieces pretty well, but every other scene includes truly wild presentation choices.

Assassins Don’t Get Great Healthcare

The high-concept premise sees Bautista portray Joe Flood, the best contract killer ever. Not only is Flood a super soldier, he’s also a moral paragon. All of his targets were monsters, and he never hurt an innocent person. The movie really bends over backwards to portray him as an uncomplicated hero. Flood’s gig still has its drawbacks, as he begins suffering chronic headaches. A trip to his doctor leaves him with a terminal diagnosis and only a few months left to live. This grim news comes just after Flood strikes up a whirlwind romance with Sophia Boutella’s Maize. Flood makes the entirely rational choice to break up with the love of his life and take out a hit on himself, hoping to leave Maize with his considerable life insurance payout. Minutes before the killers pop up, the doctor calls Flood to tell him he’s not going to die.

If this premise feels like an old-fashioned Van Damme feature, that’s because it should have been. Screenwriter Rand Ravich sold his adaptation of the novel of the same name in 1995. Rupert Wainwright of Blank Check fame was the first director on call. Wesley Snipes signed on to star. New Line Cinema called up John Woo, Wolfgang Petersen, Alex Proyas, and Renny Harlin, but none of them joined the project. Michael Keaton and Jason Statham appeared as potential Joe Floods. This project was dead 18 years ago when its original production company, Intermedia, shut down. The Killer’s Game in theaters now carries so much of that 90s and 2000s DNA that it almost feels like a retro throwback. It’s oddly charming, but it revels in the flaws common to the genre. If nothing else, this proves that Hollywood can still make classic schlocky action star vehicles.

Quitting the Game

The Killer’s Game feels like two movies inexpertly stitched together. The one that J. J. Perry feels competent to make is about Dave Bautista killing a bunch of colorful assassins. Flood’s antagonists are an array of stereotypes only a few steps removed from a No More Heroes title. There’s a pair of drunken Scotsmen, two strippers, a guy who dances people to death, a Korean family with several gimmicks, and more. These characters get precious few minutes to establish their schtick and kill several unnamed people. The action scenes are generally fun. They don’t have the consistency or verve of a John Wick outing, but there’s enough variety to keep things interesting. Bautista has the rigid movements and superhuman strength of a Terminator, but he’s still as excellent at this as ever. The problems really come in when Perry has to make the rest of the movie.

The dialogue in this movie is mostly awful. I couldn’t keep count of how many times people referenced “the game.” There’s a repeated line about the etiquette of leaving the game that starts to feel like it’s supposed to be a catchphrase. There are several jokes that land, though the people at my screening laughed much harder at showers of awful CGI blood than at silly one-liners. Every bit the movie has gets stretched beyond its breaking point. An early scene juxtaposes a romantic montage with scenes of Flood at his day job, but it outlives its entertainment value almost immediately. The Killer’s Game picks up around half-a-dozen potential themes, but it can’t find anything to say about its characters or its narrative. You start to think the film has a point about artistry or retirement or even its main character’s job, but none of it matters by the closing moments.

Hits and Misses

The Killer’s Game isn’t really worth thinking about, but it has so many weird details to consider. I’d recommend turning your brain off, but then you’d miss the seven or eight good jokes buried in the script. Pom Klementieff is in the movie about 10 seconds longer than she’s in the trailer. Terry Crews is practically on auto-pilot. Ben Kingsley has an interesting role as Flood’s facilitator and only friend. The draw is truly no more complicated than watching Bautista butcher several minor DC Comics antagonists. If you’d like to add a little fun to your viewing, try contemplating which of the killers belong in Call of Duty and which should join the cast of Tekken. I could list franchises that would briefly consider including these characters all day.

There’s a weird beat near the end of this movie that sees Joe Flood take on an army of mercenaries. Characters keep drawing attention to the differences between their business and Joe’s. Sure, they both kill people for money, but assassins have a very inconsistent sense of honor and a very consistent sense of panache. I almost started to think they were building towards a theme. Maybe they had something about doing a job out of love instead of doing it for profit. There’s even something to be said about the juxtaposition between artists and professionals. Of course, The Killer’s Game doesn’t find whatever message it was looking for. It’s just another missed opportunity. If your heart longs for the days of thoughtless violence and gimmicky murderers, The Killer’s Game will be your movie of the year. If you’d like a little substance with that, you’re playing the wrong game.