Killing Time

Quite frankly, I don't think that this movie is as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I concede the fact that at times it is a bit slow, but that is the desired effect; as the viewer, you're supposed to feel a part of the scene.

The film tries to accurately depict the lives of the hitmen and women in the film, and do you know what? It's not always that glamorous.

During the film, as in life, there are periods of intense action- and then there are those moments that leave you just "Killing Time."

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.

It makes quite a welcomed change to see a 'gangster' film that isn't completely ridden with tacky cockney (or 'mockney') accents and the obligatory cliches that come with this.

It seems that too many have commented on this film for being unrealistic to an extent. The fact that the killer is a hired assassin should allude to the fact that she should be totally unscrupulous in what she does and how she does it. Actress Kendra Torgan employs minimal acting which helps to create a nice air of enigma about herself, and man; she's as hard as nails! She makes a great femme fatale and she is the sort of person who knows just what to do and how to do it: no quibbles, no fuss. She is the true essence of what an assassin should be.

The film works equally well as a black sort of comedy, yet in a rather harrowing sense. To joke about somedoby who has a bullet through their forehead is a classic example of this. The violence portrayed is rather intense and there is no particular lack of bloodshed. The inclusion of a classy score (containing, amongst others, 'Portishead') is also a nice touch.

The story does work rather well...it's not one of the most ingenious ever but it is cleverly composed and does tend to make you pause and think what is going on - this, for me, is always a good thing. The 'masturbation' scene is a good example of this. It is, to quote my title, 'clever'. Just because the film isn't overly complex doesn't mean to say that it is weak in anyway whatsoever. To couple this, it is a stylishly directed piece containing some good, appropriate cinematography; it helps to coincide with the overall ambience of the film itself. It is decidedly slick and polished.

To close, this is a decent British film. It is somewhat of a shame that it never really received the attention that it duly deserves. Perhaps there are still others who are yet to hear it. My advice: try it. For me it provided a great deal more entertainment and 'grit' than any Guy Ritchie film ever could. Hopefully with time, and slightly more attention, this may gain the title of being a 'cult' film.

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.

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.