The following contains light spoilers for Kill, now playing in select theaters
Summary
Killis a thoughtful and compelling take on the action film, and one of its best elements is the way it subverts an classic trope of the genre. Starring Starring Lakshya, Raghav Juyal, Tanya Maniktala, Abhishek Chauhan, and Abhishek Chauhan,Killis a Indian Hindi-language revenge thriller with a particularly brutal edge. Rooted into the film’s story about a commando who must go up agianst a train full of bandits is an exploration of revenge beget by grief, continuing a cycle of bloodshed to vicious ends.
One of the best ways it does this is by taking a tired trope of the action genre and flipping on its head. The script forKilland the subsequent performances from the extended cast bring an unexpected level of depth to a typically stock-character archetype.Killis able to use this subversion to great effect,playing it into the overarching themes of the filmwhile justifying the film’s set-pieces. Here’s howKilltakes a classic element of action movies and elevates the stakes by tweaking it for the better.
Lionsgate May Have Found Its True John Wick Replacement In An Unexpected Place
The Hindi-language action film Kill is already earning rave reviews and is poised for a Western remake, setting it up as the true heir to John Wick.
The Criminals In Kill Are A Family — And Act Like It
The central antagonists ofKillare portrayed as a surprisingly loving family, subverting typical action tropes and serving as a far more compelling central antagonistic force.Killlargely takes place aboard on a train heading towards New Dhelhi that is attacked by a large gang of bandits, However, the conflict is only escalated when one of the villains is killed in an early confrontation. It’s at this point that it becomes clear that the villainous gang is genuinely related, acriminal family that has brought dozens of men of the same bloodline together to rob the train.
The anguish and anger over this unexpected death sets off the rest of the film, with scores of thieves coming after commandos Amrit and Viresh. However, it’s never just treated as a plot point.The gang becomes more emotional the more of their members are dispatched, giving way to desperate debate and vengeful rage. It’s an effective way of keeping the scores of otherwise nameless minions in the film prevalent in the plot, and quietly subverts one of the most dehumanizing traits in cinema — especially the action genre.
Kill Subverts The Nameless Henchmen Trope
Most action films will feature several scenes of the lead character fighting their way through legions of nameless henchmen. It doesn’t matter who those characters were and what their connections to one another are,henchmen are living props to be punched, stabbed, shot, or exploded over the course of an action sequence. It’s a trope found in all sort of films, a natural side-result of wanting to give the protagonist plenty of exciting challenges while keeping the focus on their story. This is what makesKillso refreshing, as the family element fuels the bandits' motivations.
Their family bond givesKill’s henchmen a key amount of depth. It serves as a solid motivation for the central antagonists to debate and commiserate with one another amidst the bone-crunching action. It gives the minions genuine cause to keep coming after the heroes, even after seeing what he’s capable of. It adds a natural layer of dread and tragedy to the action as they pick off an entire villainous family, playing into the film’s themes about the bloody cost of revenge. It’s a subtle touch thatKilluses to justify the increasing action and escalating the drama.
How Kill Should Influence Other Action Movies
Killbrings an effective amount of grounded character to the revenge thriller. The film’s focus on giving cruel villains like Fani humanizing emotions like grief and fury is an effective one. Other films have done it as well, likeDie Hard’s vengance driven Karl becoming a particularly memorable secondary villain in the genre.Killtakes that idea and runs with it, giving that memorable element to the villainous force as a whole. Other films should follow suit and recognize the humanity of the minor villains they intend to kill off, justifying the escalating conflict from a character-driven perspective.
Kill’s decision to not simply brush aside the dozens of people killed by the protagonist feels like a direct contrast to much of the modern genre. While the scores of slain nameless henchmen in franchises likeJohn Wickcan provide great action set-pieces,Killuses the more contained story to add real depth to the genre. Their impact on the film’s central story of a good man becoming a cold killing machine underscores the themes in a visually exciting ways.Kill’sgreatest strengths can be found in its surprising depths, highlighting what makes the film feel so uniquely compelling.
Kill
Cast
When army commando Amrit (Lakshya) finds out his true love Tulika (Tanya Maniktala) is engaged against her will, he boards a New Delhi-bound train in a daring quest to derail the arranged marriage. But when a gang of knife-wielding thieves led by the ruthless Fani (Raghav Juyal) begin to terrorize innocent passengers on his train, Amrit takes them on himself in a death-defying kill-spree to save those around him — turning what should have been a typical commute into an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride.
