The Killer 2024 Movie Review
I’m truly stunned. I cannot for the life of me fathom why a director who created a masterpiece 35 years ago (at the time of writing) would remake his own highly lauded piece of art into this utterly vacant, vapid and forgettable rubbish. Why?? I realise Mr John Woo is advancing in years and may not have the passion he once did. And certainly it shows in this film, that he must have been thoroughly bored to re-tread something he had done before and infinitely better in order to produce what we see here.
Absolutely nothing about this reboot/remake is characteristic of Mr Woo’s work. None of the multi-angle slow motion operatic ballet of violence from the original film can be seen here. None of the emotional and melodramatic depth of the original film, whose story was simpler but more profound and compelling in its execution, is experienced here. The economical and meaningful dialogue from the original is now replaced with unnecessarily verbose, inane and cringeworthy lines. Deeper themes such as honour and loyalty that would bring antagonists characters in his earlier works together in mutual admiration are totally absent here. The violence is unimpactful and painted with CG squibs. Even the practical blood looks like bright red paint, the kind they used in westerns in the 60s and 70s. The cinematography is bland and dull. It genuinely looks like a TV movie from the 1990s directed by a novice.
The setting in France seems to have inspired a slight goofiness and unnecessary forced humour to the picture, including the score, typical of French action comedies. To say nothing of the obvious continuity errors and poor editing. The entire picture screams laziness and indifference.
Most of the individual cast members don’t have the gravitas or charisma to provide or carry the emotional weight that might make the story more interesting to watch. The lead actress is frankly miscast and probably for reasons of DEI agendas. The actress playing the singer has little to do and is mostly annoying, and without the deep emotional connection between her character and the killer that was so central to the thrust of the original film there is no reason for the audience to care about their journey.
I will admit that John Woo’s original Killer is a film I have seen many times and am happy to call one of my favourites, and I knew that I would be disappointed to see this new version. Most films made for streaming are mediocre by design, and this one is no exception, arriving without any notice or fanfare. And it is easy to see why. Whether it was a contractual obligation or a financial incentive Mr Woo seemed to sleepwalking his way through directing it. A great shame.
