Mikes Film Talk

The 2023 production of The Kill Room serves us a sort of copycat killer artist storyline. It is a bit of a let down. This is one I wanted to like.

It has an excellent cast and a story that had the propensity to poke fun at the art world. A world of self serving pontificates. Experts who make it up as they go along. Instead we are offered a tale that focuses on celebrity and the falseness of it.

The story

Art gallery owner and art dealer Patrice is putting all her money up her nose. To help pay for her habit she pays her dealer with a painting. His boss; Gordon, decides to use her gallery for money laundering. Gordon’s hitman; Reggie starts using his instrument of death to create his own art.

He becomes a sensation in the artworld.

The Main Cast

Uma Thurman is Patrice.

Samuel L. Jackson is Gordon.

Joe Manganiello is Reggie the “artist.”

Maya Hawke (Daughter to Uma and Ethan Hawke.) is Grace.

Amy Keum is Leslie.

behind the scenes

Jonathan Jacobson wrote the screenplay and director Nicol Paone puts everyone through their imitative paces. The Kill Room feels too much like other movies about serial killing artists. This theme could have arguably started with the quirky Tourist Trap (1979). Where Chuck Connors offed tourists to make his wax museum full of new exhibits.

House of Wax (2005) another variation of killing customers to fill a museum and of course the 1990 film Still Life: The Fine Art of Murder.

so what is wrong with it

It is a toss up of trying too hard and relying on a story of what feels like an imitation. The plotline is not veering towards trope territory but it fails to be blazingly original.

Except for the whole Jewish baker who runs an illegal activity from his shop. I feel that, perhaps, the whole Samuel L Jackson as a black jewish man could be seen as a sort of homage to the late, great, Sammy Davis Jr. But this move felt like the writer trying very hard to be funny and fresh and missing the mark.

the verdict

The Kill Room feels contrived, forced and a little desperate. It feels like a copy of other films similar in nature. Interestingly, none of those films were all that good either.

I can safely give this one 3 stars out of 5. It gets an extra star just for the cast alone. Plus I really like the idea of a homage to Sammy Davis Jr. The Kill Room is streaming on Starz.

the trailer