I don’t know why I’m not seeing any Christmas themed film on my feed, at least one with action, not entirely romance and if someone could be kind enough to recommend, I’d appreciate it a lot. Anyway, I watched this film because I wanted pure chaos wrapped in neon lighting and oh dear, it delivered. It is just the kind of movie you put on when your brain wants violence and vibes, and a soundtrack that’s loud enough to make your neighbors rethink their life choices. Lol.
Synopsis (No Spoilers)
Follows Duncan Vizla, also known as The Black Kaiser, an aging hitman who just wants to retire in peace. But of course, retirement is never that simple in assassin-land. His employer decides he’s more profitable dead than alive, so they send a crew of overly dramatic, horny and seriously annoying killers after him. Meanwhile, Duncan forms an unexpected connection with his quiet, traumatized neighbor Camille and when his past comes knocking, things get very violent, and of course personal.
Review & Criticism
Let’s start with the obvious and the obvious is Mads Mikkelsen is the entire film. Everything interesting, compelling, or emotionally functional in this movie is basically taped to him. He carries it with this cold, tired elegance, the “I’m exhausted but I will kill everyone in this building if you make me” energy which I found absolutely thrilling.
The style of the film is a choice but a loud one. Jonas Akerlund directs with the subtlety of someone who drinks espresso straight from the machine. You get flashing neon, hyper-edited action scenes, and a villain so cartoonish you’ll swear he escaped from a rejected Kick-Ass spin-off.
But, you’ll be surprised that beneath the absurdity, there’s a genuinely emotional through-line between Duncan and Camille. Their relationship manages to give the film a pulse. It slows down the madness long enough to show Duncan as more than a killing machine. He’s human, lonely, tired, and somewhat broken.
Now onto my subjective critiques. This film struggles with tonal balance. One minute I’m watching a tragic, tender moment and the next, a scene plays like a music video directed by someone who got too excited with the saturation slider. Tf?
The violence is sometimes excessive for the sake of excess, which some may see as the point but to me it’s an overkill and, a few of the assassins act like they’re auditioning for a CW villain role, definitely not in a good way.
Still, if you watch this movie for what it is, which is obviously a violent, stylish, exaggerated comic-book adaptation, it’s wildly entertaining. It’s chaotic comfort food for people who like their action movies with a little pain, a lot of color, and a lead actor who could stare down a tornado.
In conclusion, I don’t think the director or producer was trying to win any award with this. They just wanted to give the audience a good bloody time and a visually chaotic time too. Therefore, if you enjoy hitman stories and high energy violence, this is a solid watch.
The rating will be 7/10 for me.
PS: not suitable for younger viewers. Should even be rated 18 but the rate at which 14 yr olds are becoming parents, I have no words.
Merry Christmas in advance. Grins.