Review: 68 Kill

(imdb.com)

Grit and gore; two words that make for a pretty wild ride in the world of horror - or at least should. In the best cases, movies that fully embrace gratuitous violence, tap into some shock comedy and make the most of their bottom line, can be amazing little cult films. Films like last year's Green Room prove just how special these cinematic moments can be. In the worst cases, these movies are unbearable foolishness in the worst way. Luckily, IFC Midnight's latest, 68 Kill is more so the prior.  


Written and directed by Trent Haaga (Deadgirl), 68 Kill follows a financially struggling couple who attempt to steal from girlfriend Liza's sugar daddy. In the process, Chip, Liza's girlfriend, realizes just how untamed his wild girlfriend truly is. As the film progresses and the body count rises, 68 Kill becomes a wild ride in low-income suburbia. With plenty of players in the game, Liza and Chips uphill battle becomes even more tumultuous.


69 Kill stars a particularly strong performance by Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds) and equally as strong, and definitely more terrifying one, courtesy of AnnaLynne McCord (90210) as Chip and Liza. Alisha Boe (Split) is also featured as a witness to the eventual murder of the sugar daddy, and Sheila Vand (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night), plays a trashy convenience store clerk with her eyes on the prize. These two young stars are powerhouses in a film that offers a fair share of distraction and comedic ploys.


The best thing working for 68 Kill is its willingness to go off the edge. Despite its faltering moments of silliness, this movie offers plenty of comically intense fun. From a scene that so casually announces that Liza's brother has a pension for dismembering young women to the constant and quite literally skull-bashing, 68 Kill never blinks. It isn't nearly as stylistic or polished as the critically acclaimed Green Room, but for fans of that movie, they can expect a similar experience. Its aggressive, unrelenting, but never loses a sense of lightheartedness.


Overall, 68 Kill is more than watchable. It's a romp of a good time and despite some questionably on-the-nose moments that feel almost too off-center, 68 Kill never loses site of its product. The actors are at some of their best, the characters are some of the most daring and while maybe some parts may feel one-note, the result as a whole is particularly entertaining. 6 out 10.