Killing Time

Kendra Torgan is far more attractive than either Anne Parillaud (La Femme Nikita) or even Bridget Fonda (Point of No Return). It is a shame that she has not done any other films.

As Maria, she is simply the hottest cold-blooded killer around. Speaking Italian through most of the film only adds to her mystery and allure. Her pistols do most of the talking for her. Admittedly she is not a well rounded killer. She does not seem to have any martial arts skills. Heck, she can't even do a push up. But she is gutsy, smart and not afraid to shoot first, then shoot again.

There is just enough firepower to keep your blood pumping and no more. This movie does not need to resort to Hollywood explosions to keep people interested.

No tricky storylines or cop-out Deus ex Machina endings in this movie. This story moves quickly and not a minute is wasted. The action and changes in moods are paced by a great soundtrack. All the original music and the alternative songs add a haunting beauty to the film.

If you like the Female Assassin genre, this is a must see.

I really feel this could have been a much better movie if the plot and acting were better done. Kendra Torgan is gorgeous as the ice-cool Italian hit woman who ruthlessly eliminates her victims as nonchalantly as she peels her apples. Although mildly fun to watch, the movie is sadly idiotic. The kill rate is horrendous and at times the movie seems to drag. Everyone around Kendra seems to be bungling, the conversation is inane and the choreography of the shooting scenes were choppy. It's bloody violent though, if that is any redeeming feature.

The promise of the trailer faded away by the dullness of the film. This is an example of how to kill a great idea. Slow paced, lots of useless dialogs and plot holes makes you use the fast-forward button.

This is the type of film that proves that if you've got a micro budget then you should NOT make an action flick. The action sequences are very badly directed and edited, which makes the action sequences a bit of a chore to watch. The locations used throughout the film are devoid of any life, in that a few extras would have helped matters three-fold. The acting leaves a lot to be desired except for the lovely assassin, but that's only because she says about 3 words throughout the film. It also appears that the film stock must have been left out during the making because the colours are saturated and blurred, not to mention grainy. All in all, a bit of a disaster really and not what you`d expect. Well maybe you should because it took 3 years to get distributed in the UK.

Forget the acting, the pace of the story, logic, and plotholes what makes this film interesting is the setup. The title Killing Time can go both ways: one that sounds like Time to Kill, or just wasting one's time away. Maria the Assassin is to kill a mob boss. The first place of her attack, the boss is not around and will be on the subway late afternoon. With nothing to do in the meantime, she's stays in the hotel to kill time.

The structure and setup of the plot is interesting. You will notice a translator tape being played and only later does it show its importance.

The verdict: 3.5 of 5 stars.