Killer Heat

After selecting this for movie night, my wife told me the IMDB rating of 5.5, so I read a few reviews before watching. We both decided to give it a try even after reading some of the low-star reviews.

Sure, there's a couple of parts that make you wonder about certain actions, but everything is there for a reason. I found it to be a good story with decent twists. Sometimes you just have to go with the story and not think that you can write better material; the story is the story, and that's that.

The acting was really good, especially Shailene Woodley, who really delivers at the end with a very believable reaction (which I won't spoil).

I'm glad we watched it, and both of us film fans can be very critical (I've also written scripts & directed a few of my own ideas, but I put that aside).

I don't mind a mystery where I predict the end so long as I enjoy the ride getting there. That's the case for this movie.

It's marketed as noir so, like almost all noir, I predicted the end before I even pressed play. That's the problem with the genre. It has such predictable tropes that you hardly need to know anything about it to guess the ending. And this movie really embraced the classic tropes, which is one reason I liked it, and another reason I found it so predictable.

That said, the setting in Greece, the slow and steady pacing, the enigmatic characters... they made this an enjoyable film to watch. The acting was decent and so was the writing. These days, with the constant churn of streaming content where quantity matters over quality, that means something.

A mystery so trite that you see all the (very few) twists from very far and in fact the twist is that there is no surprise at all. Not that it makes any sense by the way when you think about it for one second. This movie is so cliche it borders on parody but it takes itself very seriously.

I guess this was an excuse for all involved to have a vacation in Crete, maybe a tax scheme for the producers also, otherwise no idea why this movie even exists.

It's not even awful. It's ok and if you never saw a whodunit in your life I guess there are worse things to watch but in any other case don't bother.

Joseph Gordon Levitt and Shailene Woodley both do an excellent job in the lead roles. The script isn't anything groundbreaking, but its still well thought out and will keep you guessing, while also giving us enough background of the two leads to make them relatable.. This is billed as noir, but the only thing Noir about Killer Heat is the narration from Levitt. It was filmed on Location in one of the brightest locals in the world Greece, so if the director wanted to make noir he should have filmed elsewhere. Otherwise, this is a decent enough mystery to entertain and its running time is short enough to not become bored. This wont win any awards, but its enjoyable enough to watch.

I give it a 6.8. I don't get why this movie has such a low rating. It's not a groundbreaking plot or one filled with a bunch of twists but it's not crap either. The mystery aspect of the story I doubt you'll be guessing either. (Which I believe is or almost is the most important part of a mystery movie.) It's a detective story through n through. The acting is also pretty solid, no one had a bad performance. I think Shailene Woodley always gives as great performance, which was also true here. Joseph-Gordon Levitt was pretty good. Was t his best work but wasn't bad either. Visually the movie is also pleasing. Some great shots on a beautiful island.