Killer Conversation, A (2015)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Ryan Hunter, Rudy Barrow, Melanie Denholme
Directed by David V.G. Davies
The thought of an unknown person forcing his way into your home is without a doubt one of the more frightening traumas that an individual can endure, let alone the prospect of that person holding you hostage, weapon in hand. Now I want everyone to reach deep back into the bowels of your mind and think up what could POSSIBLY be the worst factor to add into the situation?
More captors?
More weapons in play?
How about one of your exes?
Yeah, that’s what I thought. Director David V.G. Davies takes what already is considered a terrifying situation and makes it considerably worse in A Killer Conversation.
The movie’s premise doesn’t come any simpler than this: Karl (Hunter) makes the colossal mistake of answering his door (sarcasm), and an armed intruder forces his way inside the home and immediately ties Karl to a chair in the kitchen and holds him at gunpoint. With a handkerchief over his face, the killer remains calm and very well spoken. The two banter and bicker back and forth, with often humorous results, such as differing opinions on whether or not to cut the rope, right down to an argument about the killer eating Karl’s lunch, after which the murder will (supposedly) commence. With Karl realizing that his life appears to be speeding to an immediate halt, a knock at the door simply throws another log on the fire of his already abhorrent day.
Pauline, Karl’s ex-girlfriend, strolls into the flat, completely unaware of the danger at hand until the killer shoves his gun into her face, and without even batting an eyelid, she proceeds to bitch and complain about the pair’s current lack-of-love-situation and how she wants to reconcile.
Now, I can plainly say that in that predicament I’d request a bullet or two to end the suffering, but Karl moves along like a trooper, and the two start an exchange that will uncover some secrets that shouldn’t have been revealed and provide the viewer with a fairly comical undertaking. The idea of the killer sidestepping his agenda and allowing these two to flesh out their differences is not only a stroke of directing prowess, but one that takes an otherwise frightening formula and brings it down to a jovial tier. Not to say that there won’t be some surprises for everyone, but if you’re looking for the brutal killing display that the movie artwork would imply, then you’ll be disappointed.
All three of the headline performances are noteworthy, simply because they’re the only three that are on display – no muss, no fuss, no confusion. If I had to grasp at a downer here, it would be the dialogue at times – goofy humor and stale repartee can be tedious, but don’t fret for long, as there usually are some genuine laughs around the corner to rescue everyone. You’ve got to love a film that is shot in one location with a minimal number of actors at hand and discourse that at times seems legitimate. I’d be content to engage in a little Killer Conversation like this anytime so give it a look, but think twice before opening your door to strangers… or exes.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
