Blood in the Snow Film Festival Review: KILL ORDER (2017)

Welcome witches and warlocks,

Today I will be reviewing the action feature KILL ORDER (2017) by writer director James Mark.  To best describe the story, I will turn to the IMDB plot summary:

“A troubled high school student discovers the truth behind his hidden abilities.”

To be honest, that is a pretty bad and generic plot summary.  If I am going to be even more honest I would say that it is also about all of the background we are given.  Sure there are hints to a grander conspiracy headed by a shadow organization, but we are never really given much information on that aspect.  I suspect that some of this vagueness is due to the fact of them wanting to make a sequel down the line that will further expand this world.  For this particular entry, though, all we know is that our lead is tied to something much larger than he realizes and is able to kick a lot of butt without really knowing why.

Granted, when the action scenes kick in it is hard to really care about much else.  The sheer athleticism on display is fantastic and each fight feels just as satisfying as the one before.  In addition to the fantastic choreography, each sequence is expertly filmed to feel frenetic without being so stylized as to sacrifice the artistry on display.  This is a delicate balance to strike and they do so with a capability that allows us to fully take in all aspects of each skirmish.

The fight scenes are backed up by a score that is not entirely memorable, but was fitting for the content.  While I might not be able to recall any snatches of the music, I can say that the bass lines were definitely putting the old subwoofer to work.  In fact, the strong bass line only further accentuated each punch and kick as the two working together had the room practically humming with sound.

While most of this review has been examining the technical aspects, allow just a few observations on how this picture made me feel.  Honestly, the action scenes left me on a bit of a contact high as I always love seeing well-choreographed fight sequences.  The only thing holding me back from truly loving every second of this feature was the fact that the story was too vague to be inspiring.

All in all, this is a fast paced action flick with a weak story.  It seems poised for a sequel which is both a gift and a curse, so I hope they are able to recapture all of the technical wizardry of this first entry with a stronger plot.  Fans of movies like The Matrix (1999) or Hanna (2011) will find some similar things at play in this flick.

Shannon McGrew
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