The cinematic landscape has recently presented a curious coincidence: two films exploring the dark depths of devil-worshipping, wealthy elites intent on sacrificing a woman and her sister to appease a malevolent entity were released within a single week. This striking thematic overlap, so pronounced that promotional trailers for one film conspicuously omitted the shared narrative element, invites immediate comparison. The trailer for They Will Kill You, in particular, was notably edited to downplay this central plot point. In the current media climate, encountering such parallel creative endeavors is not an anomaly to be scrutinized with suspicion; rather, it’s a phenomenon akin to observing two similarly adorned cakes, a testament to shared cultural currents rather than an indication of impropriety.
Despite this uncanny alignment, the primary assessment of They Will Kill You is that it serves as a diverting, albeit brief, ninety-four-minute entertainment. For audiences seeking a straightforward escape and possessing an appetite for excessive, stylized gore, the film offers a satisfying, if uncomplicated, experience. The notion of "extra cake for everyone" or "everyone is a winner" may apply in its most superficial sense, as the film fulfills a basic entertainment function.
However, a significant point of divergence, and a primary source of disconnect for the viewer, emerges immediately at the film’s inception. The opening sequence plunges the audience into a harrowing escape scenario. Asia Reeves (Zazie Beetz) and her younger sister are fleeing a sadistic domestic situation. This initial segment is characterized by a palpable tension and a stark realism, devoid of any fantastical elements. The narrative establishes Asia’s background with clarity: cornered by their father, she resorts to lethal force, shooting him. Yet, upon hearing approaching sirens, she abandons her sister to the still-living abuser, ultimately being apprehended herself. This formative trauma, occurring a decade before the film’s primary events, sets a grim and grounded tone. The narrative then fast-forwards ten years, placing Asia in her new position at The Virgil, a sophisticated New York establishment harboring a sinister secret. The audience is implicitly guided to infer that Asia’s underlying motivation is to locate her missing younger sister, Maria (Myha’la), a deduction that proves accurate.
What follows is a jarring descent into unrestrained violence and absurdity, a world seemingly disconnected from the grounded reality of the opening minutes. The core premise is revealed: the affluent residents of The Virgil are engaged in a pact with Satan, promising them eternal life in exchange for ritualistic sacrifices. As these individuals are immortal, Asia cannot kill them; her objective is limited to incapacitating them. The film introduces a complication: Maria also works at The Virgil as a maid. It is revealed that the building’s staff can, on occasion, be incorporated into this infernal pact, albeit in a subservient capacity, forever designated as "the help." Consequently, Asia finds herself in a desperate struggle to outwit a coterie of wealthy, seemingly unkillable cultists. The narrative complexity largely dissipates at this juncture, with the plot coalescing around this central conflict. The dialogue, from this point forward, becomes sparse, primarily revolving around inquiries into Asia’s whereabouts and pleas for her to surrender to her fate.
Narrative Structure and Thematic Ambiguity
The screenplay, credited to Alex Litvak and co-written and directed by Kirill Sokolov, suggests a prioritization of action sequences over cohesive plot development. The film appears to function as a framework to showcase a series of elaborate set pieces, with narrative threads serving merely as connective tissue. While They Will Kill You evokes echoes of seminal works like Jordan Peele’s Get Out and its more direct thematic counterpart, Ready or Not, both of which offered incisive social commentary on institutional critique, They Will Kill You adopts a more superficial engagement with these themes. Although there are a few instances of overtly stated dialogue hinting at social commentary, the film ultimately appears to rely on the audience’s pre-existing sentiment against the excesses of the ultra-wealthy. The premise of rooting against wealthy death cults is not a challenging one for a populace increasingly disillusioned with perceived elitism and the pretense of altruism from the affluent.
Racial Undertones and Unresolved Questions
A potential avenue for They Will Kill You to distinguish itself lies in its engagement with the racial dimensions inherent in the depicted disparities. The film hints at such a dynamic through the racial composition of The Virgil’s staff, predominantly composed of individuals of color, and its residents, who are largely white. Furthermore, the elevation of the building’s superintendent, Lillith Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette), and her husband, Ray Woodhouse (Paterson Joseph), alongside their marital discord regarding the continuation of the ritual, suggests a deeper exploration of these social stratifications.
However, the film’s handling of these issues raises more questions than it answers. Ray’s attempt to aid Asia, and his subsequent explanation to Lillith, reveals a fractured ideology. He confesses to formerly believing in their Satanic pact as a means of "cleaning up the streets," but now views their actions as mere murder. This implies a selective morality: Ray apparently believes certain impoverished individuals warrant salvation while others do not, or perhaps that specific types of criminals are deserving of death. This nuanced, yet ultimately underdeveloped, perspective on justice and societal cleansing feels like a significant missed opportunity for meaningful commentary.
Influences and Derivative Action Sequences
The film’s action sequences frequently borrow from established genre titans, sometimes to the point of self-indulgence. Asia’s initial preparation for combat involves a lighter etched with a samurai motif, its flickering flame evoking the glint of a katana. She subsequently procures a machete, leading to Kill Bill-esque fountains of blood as she dispatches her initial assailants. When Maria inquires about Asia’s combat prowess, Asia glibly attributes it to "prison." This response, which might suggest an opportunity for a profound flashback detailing Asia’s training, proves to be a narrative dead end. The samurai aesthetic is swiftly discarded and rarely revisited.
Body Horror and Missed Opportunities
The film also incorporates elements of grotesque body horror as the immortal inhabitants of The Virgil regenerate from Asia’s attacks. The most notable example, and arguably the most successful, is the disembodied eyeball of Sharon Vanderbilt (Heather Graham), which rolls about in pursuit of Asia as her head regrows. While this scene offers moments of dark amusement, its impact is undermined by the illogical implication that the eyeball possesses independent hearing capabilities, despite the absence of ears. This lapse in internal logic, while perhaps intended as absurdist humor, detracts from the scene’s potential. The reviewer expresses a sentiment that this severed eyeball, with its inherent strangeness, might have been a more compelling character throughout the film, offering a clearer instance of the film’s more successful tonal experiments.
The depiction of the Devil through a pig’s head on a stick lacks the visceral impact the filmmakers likely intended. For audiences familiar with Peter Jackson’s early zombie films, Sam Raimi’s works, or David Cronenberg’s body horror explorations, the imagery in They Will Kill You feels derivative and less impactful than these established benchmarks.
Concluding Thoughts and Sequel Bait
The film consistently escalates its action sequences, culminating in a predictable bloodbath. However, the narrative machinations lose their intrigue long before this climax. The inclusion of a setup for a sequel feels entirely unearned, though not entirely surprising given the film’s trajectory. It is a disservice to Zazie Beetz, who delivers a compelling and entertaining performance, to be relegated to such a weakly constructed vehicle. Her talent as an action hero warrants a more substantial and original narrative. The film’s narrative arc, from its grounded opening to its fantastical and ultimately repetitive climax, highlights a struggle to maintain thematic coherence and deliver a truly impactful story. While it offers a distraction, They Will Kill You ultimately falls short of providing a memorable or thought-provoking cinematic experience.
