Riot’s Reviews: Boy Kills World
Ah, the “beat-‘em-up” game come to life. I’m certain that anybody could point to at least one favorite action/thriller movie. They aren’t in short supply and every decade there appears a new actor/talent willing to put body and limb on the line to entertain audiences around the world. Not all of them are winners, but within the last 20 years or so, I’d argue there are a few elements that have greatly affected the path of growth for this genre for the better: technology, the influence of martial arts, and the advancement of quality storylines. There are plenty action/thrillers that came up short in all of these elements (I recently shared my negative thoughts about Silent Night for instance), but I think these films have carried a little more complexity recently that maybe didn’t exist in the world of the 80’s action hero. Some actors like Jason Statham for example, have made this genre their bread and butter, combining acting charisma and martial arts into fantastic titles like The Transporter, Crank, and The Beekeeper (and I distinctly mean the first Transporter and the first Crank lol). The modern-day action thriller can’t simply be a mess of bullets and fight scenes anymore. To be great, they need a hook, an element that will draw the audience into the seats. Turns out Boy Kills World only needed one hook to reel me in: the deadpan, baritone voice of H. Jon Benjamin.
Shocked as I am to admit this, but for once Benjamin wasn’t the best thing about a project. The Archer and Bob’s Burgersvoice actor was excellent to be sure, but there were a ton of elements that overshadowed the cleverly narrated segments of the story. At its core (as can be derived easily from the commercial) Boy Kills World is a brutal revenge story. What immediately makes this movie interesting at its start, is having a talent like Benjamin narrate the exposition/backstory over a genuinely excellent training montage. The audience learns everything that they need to know quickly and efficiently ensuring that the real action can begin as soon as possible. There is an unexpectedly large amount of comedy in the film, helping to temper the savage fight scenes. I can’t honestly say the jokes always land as they should, but I think a lot of that has more to do with delivery than anything else. Two of the big actors Brett Gelman (Gideon Van Der Koy) andAndrew Koji (Basho) put on great performances but are a little hit or miss on their comedy bits, mostly due to their eccentricity and a dash of overacting. The humor is definitely centered around Benjamin and Bill Skarsgard’s (Credited as “Boy”) ability to silently emote his way through the jokes effectively.
The comedy is the icing on the cake as far as I’m concerned and audiences will not be disappointed with the action sequences in this movie. One of the best beat-‘em-up movies in existence (The Raid) also featured a major star in this film, Yayan Ruhian, who puts on an absolute clinic of marital arts insanity. Coupled with an outstanding one on one match between Skarsgard and his co-star Jessica Rothe, the final confrontation of the film is a chef’s kiss, stopping just sort of masterpiece because it shatters the wall of believability at its conclusion. And while the hand to hand combat is definitively the best element of the film, the choreographed fighting/shooting sequences also need to be seen to be believed. The movie doesn’t ever really try to take itself too seriously, giving it a more charming feel that combats the fair amount of blood and gore. One of the tension ice-breaking elements for instance is having Benjamin narrate dictionary definitions for words and emotions he is experiencing as he cuts his bloody path to his final target, Famke Janssen (Hilda Van Der Koy). It also doesn’t hurt to have an adorable co-star in Quinn Copeland (who plays the “ghost” of his sister) running around doing buddy commentary and appearing in each new scene with a costume change that fits the environment. As a final point to the positives, Skarsgard’s character is deaf and mute, but relies on reading the lips of the other characters to allow Benjamin to narrate the scenes. When one of his compatriots, Isaiah Mustafa (Benny), turns out to have a beard too thick to see his mouth, hilarity ensues when Skarsgard interprets pure gibberish every time Benny talks and visualizes all of the wacky things that come from it.
Boy Kills World was the type of movie Silent Night was trying (and failing) to be.
While both movies share some issues with the plotline, I felt like Boy Kills World was at least able to set itself apart by being more true to its clear intended point, to be a murderous and comedic rampage. The plot can easily be called predictable and the camerawork was not as coherent as it could have been. There are some awkward lulls in the dialogue and an entire action sequence gets cut out in favor of an up-close, directly in Skarsgard’s face framing that tries and fails to express the internal struggle that the Boy is experiencing in the moment. I would have also liked to know more about the Van Der Koy’s totalitarian society and how it came to be/function, but that wasn’t at all the intention of the movie. People looking for in-depth motivation or character development in this film aren’t going to find much of either, which is admittedly quite a bad mark now that I think about it. Sometimes intention is everything and I intended to have a bloody good time. That is certainly what I got.
Riot’s Rating: 8.9/10: Not for the faint of heart. Fans of H. Jon Benjamin shouldn’t miss out.
P.S. I’ve been very vocal to friends and coworkers about my concerns with the upcoming The Crow remake. As far as the action sequences go, Skarsgard has alleviated some of my concerns. He has undoubtedly proven he can throw down with the best of them. I still can’t imagine The Crow will be very good, but I have a little more optimism than before.
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