Lamar Reviews - "The Killer's Game" (Airdate 9/20/2024)

What’s not to like? I love Dave Bautista. He was great in Guardians of the Galaxy, he was really good in My Spy, and he surprised me with his acting talent in Knock at the Cabin. The trailer for this movie looked a lot like a John Wick movie, with non-stop action, violence, and blood. The problem is, Keanu Reeves has put his stamp on those movies, and he has ruined it for everyone else. Jason Momoa and Chris Hemsworth have done the same thing to the manbun. I know how you think it looks, but trust me, it looks exactly the opposite. Get that damn thing off your head! I’m not saying that The Killer’s Game is sad like a manbun, it’s not. But it’s not John Wick, so you should manage your expectations.

Dave Bautista plays Joe Flood, a top line assassin who only kills bad guys, as in drug dealers, pedophiles, arms dealers, and hairdressers that suggest manbuns to their clients. I never actually saw that last one but I’m sure it’s on his list.

So, since Joe is only murdering bad guys it’s ok to pull for him and laugh at the gore.

During one of his kills he meets a beautiful ballet dancer named Maize, played by Sofia Boutella. Joe’s doctor diagnoses him with a life-threatening illness. To avoid the pain and slow death Joe authorizes a kill order on himself. After the order is in place he finds out he was misdiagnosed and faces an army of assassins out to kill him. Let the game begin.

The movie is 1 hour and 44 minutes, Rated-R for strong bloody violence, and tons of it, language, some sexual material, brief drug use and nudity.

Besides the bloody action, there is a lot of dark humor. Some of it hits, a good bit of it misses.

The funniest scenes are between Joe and his handler Zvi Rabinowitz, played by a very funny Ben Kingsley, and his exuberant wife, played by Alex Kingston. They treat him like a son they never had.

Pom Klementieff, who played Mantis in the Guardian movies, plays a villainous part that adds to the humor. Terry Crews is another actor you will recognize.

Dave Bautista has the ability to be intimidating and scary, but also friendly and comforting while snapping a guy’s arm. He has the perfect mixture of charm and menace to keep you engaged and prevent the movie from being a bloody waste of time.

My wife Carla went with me, and even though this is not her kind of movie, surprised me by liking it a lot.

If you are a Bautista fan, and you can manage your expectations and don’t walk in thinking John Wick, you will like it. I did.

My Score: 4 Buds