The Killer's Game - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Killer's Game



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
I’ve been weirdly intrigued by the glut of ex professional wrestling stars making their way to Hollywood. Sure it’s been done since the 1980s when Hulk Hogan started hamming it up in Rocky II, and Kevin Nash played opposite Hugh Jackman in the X-Men around the turn of the century, but the modern day rush of hulking bodybuilders making the change from arena acting to stage acting started when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson crossed over and made it big. Since then, every single back flipping, heel popping, people’s elbow dropping wrestling star has tried to cross over. Some like John Cena have made it big, while most of them (Mike the Miz, etc) have been relegated to DTV action films. However, out of ALL the hulking behemoths that crossed careers, none has interested me more than Dave Bautista. The Rock is basically John Wayne in that he always plays the same eyebrow raising character in every movie, and Cena plays the same “Ernest goes to Camp” type of action star in every film he’s ever in. But Bautista, interestingly enough, seems really intent on growing as an actor, having proven himself in big fun roles like Guardians of the Galaxy, but also making more nuanced characters such as his cameo in Blade Runner 2049, or Knock at the Cabin. He’s not a Marlon Brando or Robert DeNiro, but Bautista is easily one of my favorite wrestlers turned actor as he genuinely surprises me at every turn.

All of that to say, I was more than a bit interested in The Killer’s Game when I saw the trailer. I knew just watching that couple minute clip that this wasn’t going to be Gone with the Wind, but I’m a fan of schlocky action films, and figured it would be a low brow good time, or an utter abortion. Well, it looks like it was more of the first, as The Killer’s Game ended up being a schlocky throwaway good time that simply requires you to check your brain at the door. No, it’s not going to rival John Wick, but if you like low budget action movies ala the late 90s and early 2000s, then this should work for you.

Dave Bautista is international contract killer Joe Flood, a man who has made quite a pretty penny offing bad guys and scumbags for his handler Zvi Rabinowitz (Ben Kingsley). However, he acquires a taste for the civilian life when he meets stage dancer Maize (Sofia Boutella) and decides to retire for good and spend it with her. Only hiccup in his plan is that Joe has been suffering with massive headaches, blurred vision, and cognitive impairment for quite some time, and he finds out in the most inopportune time ever, that he has a rare condition that will kill him in 3 months max. Not wanting to go out pitied and drooling on himself, Joe sets up a life insurance policy for Maize, and orders a hit on himself by his competitor Antoinette (played by Guardians of the Galaxy co-star Pom Kelmentieff).

Well, I’m not spoiling anything here, but just before the assigned hit is to be carried out, Joe learns that his doctors misdiagnosed him, leaving him with the sickening realization that he’s about to die and there’s NOTHING WRONG WITH HIM except the need for glasses. Now he’s got less than 24 hours to ward off a cadre of bloodthirsty contract killers who have no desire for mercy, and simply want to see their competition dead.
As I said, The Killer’s Game is not exactly an intellectual movie, but it isn’t bad either. Well, to be more precise, it’s not unenjoyable. Yeah, it’s a bad movie, but just like those Cannon Films chuck Norris movies of the 80s and 90s, its still a blast to watch. The film is elevated by having an entire cast made up of stunt guys, B-level action stars (seriously, Daniel Bernhardt, Marko Zaror, Shaina West, Lucy Cork, Scott Adkins) hamming it up to level 11 (when does Scott Adkins NOT ham it up?), and the end result is a pulpy good time.

One thing I DID find strange was the weird juxtaposition of the 1st and 2nd halves of the film tone wise. The first half of the film is your average DTV action flick, with serious fights, plenty of action, and Dave Bautista being a lovable tough guy. But the second the assassins show up to take out Joe, it changes over to a live action comic book, almost mirroring some of the elements of Kill Bill (that fight scene with the Korean assassins was REALLY reminiscent of the infamous Yakuza fight in the first Kill Bill film). It was so jarring and crazy that I started to feel like I was losing it, but after about 20 minutes I sort of melded the two differing halves together and just “went with it”.




Rating:

Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, language, some sexual material, brief drug use and nudity.




4K Video: Video:

There’s not a whole lot of information as to the master used, but from what I can tell by digging around the film used the Sony Venice digital camera for capture, and I would ASSUME a 4K digital intermediate judging by how nice the image looks. The 2.00:1 shot film (a more and more common aspect ratio in recent years) looks fantastic on 4K, with very strong colors, a slightly dimmed look to everything (reds are deep maroon etc), and VERY good details. Fine details are exquisite, showcasing every gray hair popping off Bautista’s chest, the wrinkles and age marks show up perfectly on his face, and the CGI stands out a little TOO much from all of that detail. Black levels are generally superb, with no signs of crush or banding anywhere. All in all, this is a near picture perfect image that only has an issue with cheap CGI standing out a tad too much.






Audio:

As is the case with most modern Lionsgate films, we have a standalone Dolby Atmos track that really does the film justice (even if the script does not). It’s loud, boisterous, and full of spice as it peppers the audience with a non stop barrage of bullets, yelling, and explosions. Dialog is crisp and clean as expected, and the surrounds gets a TON of activity with all of the action. Bass is really nice and clean with plenty of oomph, but it doesn’t go overboard and create a bass bomb (as much as nerds like me like that for action films). It’s a well rounded track that doesn’t really showcase perfection, but comes really close with a delightful object oriented track.






Extras:

• Meet Joe Flood
• The Conductor
• World of Assassins
• Killed It!
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

No, The Killer’s Game is unobjectively not a great film, but as a low budget Eastern European action movie, this is above average. There were enough fisticuffs and one liners to keep this 80s and 90s action lover interested, and the fights were well choreographed. The ONE thing I will grumpily levy as an unpleasant negative is the over use of CGI blood. I get that modern day CGI can negate the need for squibs, and other physical effects, but CGI blood (especially in a low budget movie) looks SOOOOOOOOOOOOO fake to the point of taking you out of the film. Bautista and Boutella are solid, though Kingsley is very obviously not that invested in the whole thing (can you blame him?). The 4K UHD disc is a very solid entry, with great video and audio, and moderate extras. Fun watch for action slop fans.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Dave Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Beng Kingsley, Terry Crews
Directed by: J.J. Perry
Written by: Rand Ravich, James Coyne, Jay Bonansinga
Aspect Ratio: 2.00:1
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Studio: Lionsgate
Rated: R
Runtime: 104 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: November 18th, 2024

Recommendation: Silly Fun