King of Killers (2023)

King of Killers (2023)

An entertaining film, but really nothing more! Far from being very good, far from being excellent, far from being a masterpiece.

Garan is part of a group of international hitmen tasked with eliminating the world’s most dangerous killer, only to discover that they are the ones being hunted.

It could have been a wonderful concept, but the first half hour struggled to get going and it’s full of clichés. A guy who’s a killer, but hides it from his wife. One day she sees him in action, but becomes a victim. Then their daughter falls ill and he accepts contracts for the money, even though he wanted to quit because of his trauma…

Anyway! Nothing new under the sun, apart from the person who recruits them and the reason why. But there’s still a twist at the end which, unfortunately, foreshadows a sequel. But I don’t think the film was a hit. So maybe we’re saved!

Lots of violence, of course. Nothing extreme for the connoisseurs and regulars. It goes without saying that this film is not for everyone. Sensitive souls won’t even think of venturing out this way.

If you’re watching this film for Stephen Dorff, you should know that he only appears for five minutes. True to form, I’d say, for those who know him!

Frank Grillo is one of those actors with extra charisma who you’re sure you’ve seen somewhere, but you don’t really know where! In any case, this man is very active. I know that I’ve seen him in The Grey (2011), Werewolves (2024), but also in superhero films like Captain America 3 – Civil War (2016) and Avengers 4 – Endgame (2019).

I’m also delighted to see Marie Avgeropoulos again, who, alas, isn’t in many good films, but rather in very average TV films. It’s worth watching them if you’re a mega-fan of hers, as she always gives her best.

As for Alain Moussi, he’s nothing exceptional and has very few expressions. He’s a good-looking guy who typically represents the American hero in this kind of film.

Crazy thing: the trio of Frank Grillo, Alain Moussi and Marie Avgeropoulos are in this film by Kevin Grevioux… but they’re also in Jiu Jitsu (2020) by Dimitri Logothetis alongside… Nicolas Cage!!!

So I’m sure this film is absolutely rubbish and a complete waste of time… but to see Cage having fun in all his various roles and to see a film about an ancient order of Jiu Jitsu expert fighters who have to face a mysterious alien fighter… that’s got to be some jubilant fun!

To conclude with this film: It’s not good, as you might expect! King of Killers is a Canadian-American action-adventure film written and directed by Kevin Grevioux, based on his graphic novel of the same title. It’s also his directorial debut. Let’s hope he improves or stops!

It’s hard to resist this cast of B-movie stars, who have come together here to decide who’s the best assassin, but certainly not the best director. No great pretensions, and Grevioux takes the reins for the pleasure of pleasing and pleasing himself, with a simple, effective subject that could obviously give rise to a sequel. And that’s the worst of it: that a sequel is mentioned at the end! I’ve just seen it. I can’t wait…

KofK could easily have taken its place in my DVD library of guilty pleasures, but the action lacks panache and allure and, immersed in blue and green lights between two set-pieces, the dimension isn’t there.

The idea of the competition wasn’t bad, but the execution is banal, muddled and never really exciting.
If you’ve got no other entertainment to get your teeth into and you like a good fight, go for it! There are even a couple of moments where there are simultaneous fights, something I appreciate. But one of the best moments of the style was in Tango And Cash (1989). This is a far cry from that!

The plot takes place in Japan, but you can quickly see that it wasn’t shot there. Only images of the country are used.

A film that wasn’t successful and clearly couldn’t have been. Just the delirium of an actor turned director who wanted to make a film in this style. Yes, because Kevin Grevioux was part of the cast of Underworld (2003), for example. He reappeared in Underworld 3 – Rise of the Lycans (2008), as did Bill Nighy, while Kate Beckinsale was unfortunately replaced by Rhona Mitra!