Director: Malik Bader
Writer: Malik Bader (Screenplay)
Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Emory Cohen, Diane Guerrero, Zlatko Buric, Suraj Sjarma, Nickola Shreli
Plot: Two friends launder money in NYC. They make a quick drug deal. Things go wrong as dirty cops are involved. One gets amnesia during escape with the drugs and money.
Tagline – Nothing is as it seems
Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Crime 101
Story: Killerman starts as we meet two money launders Moe (Hemsworth) and Skunk (Cohen) who take a risker job involved drugs, using their connections around New York, they know the risk they would be taking to make this happen.
When the deal happens, it doesn’t go as planned with Moe getting amnesia, with Skunk needing to help keep things together for the pair, as now they need to escape the city, with the drug lord wanting the money, a dirty cop after them and the rest of the cops looking to bring them down.
Thoughts on Killerman
Characters – Moe has been a money laundry for years, he has a smart business which never sees attention come his way, his best friend knows his business and wants to get him involved in a bigger job, one that involves drugs, one that could set them for life, only it goes wrong and he loses his memory, he needs to piece together his life, if he is going to get his life back and escape before it is too late. Skunk is the best friend and partner of Moe, he comes from a family that is involved in the drug dealing side of the city, which gives him a chance to get involved, he wants to impress the family and whatever cost. Lola is the girlfriend of Moe, she has been searching for him and is left wondering what has happened to him. Perico is the man that offers the deal, the chance to impress the family, he isn’t going to let him fail, even if he is family.
Performances – Liam Hemsworth is at his best in this role, in the past he hasn’t managed the criminal characters well, but here he shows he is ready to step up, Emory Cohen is great as the partner desperate to impress, while Diane Guerrero does seem to get waste for the most part, by not having enough screen time.
Story – The story here follows two criminals who decide to move out of their comfort zone to get involved in drug deals, only for things to go wrong and them needing to make up for the mistake or escape before it is too late. This does follow the crime story ideas of two people who risking more find themselves dealing with bigger consequences for their actions, while we do get the amnesia side to the problems, it still shows the two men being loyal to each other. We are left with plenty of twists along the way, not knowing who to trust when it comes to completing the deal.
Action/Mystery – The action side of the film shows the brutality that is being caused by the criminals to each other, with the mystery being about who can be trusted.
Settings – The movie is set in New York, which always works as it shows us just how the criminal world operates in the biggest city in the world.
Scene of the Movie – The kennels.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Lola seems like a wasted on screen character.
Final Thoughts – This is a dark crime drama based on a real man, it is filled with brutality not holding back going for violence instead of a steadier story.
Overall: By the Books.
