68 Kill

Good novel, butchered but bad screenplay. Fine casting on this film couldn't save the movie and actors from a treacherous screenplay. They could have cast a bunch of cats with the lack of direction this film had. Good cinematography and editing can not save this director from failing the craft.

Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Liza (AnnaLynne McCord) are an unusual pairing and completely broke. She watches her sugar daddy opening his safe and memorizes the combination. She convinces Chip to break in. In addition, she kills her sugar daddy and his wife. She also kidnaps and intends to sell Violet (Alisha Boe) to her brother Dwayne.

It is a lot of crazy and a lot of violence. The crazy starts with AnnaLynne McCord. She is one crazy hot girl. The crazy hot ratio calculation is always tricky. You get it wrong and all of a sudden, you're Chip. You definitely want to be on the Alisha Boe side of the line. At the trailer park, I always knew that she was coming. Maybe the movie should show her journey cutting in between torturing Chip. This is a split decision.

Chip Taylor's girlfriend Liza had the perfect plan to rip off her rich sugar daddy. It should have been an easy in and out kind of deal. Nobody would get hurt and they would come out of it with enough loot to solve their problems. But things started going wrong as soon as they were inside the rich man's house, and for Chip it was only the beginning of the longest, most terrifying ride of his life.

Let's start by discussing the cast. Matthew Gray Gubler is perfectly cast as "sad sack" Chip. Gubler's facial expressions alone should really make him a bigger name than he is. His range of emotion in just his eyes is very intense. AnnaLynne McCord is his partner-rival as the stereotypical crazy-beautiful Liza… something she is quite good at playing, as seen in "Excision", which coincidentally also starred Gubler. The duo also both starred in last year's festival hit "Trash Fire". Are they the new Hepburn and Tracy?

Alisha Boe, who is distinguishing herself on television, is the breakout star here. Although she was unknown to me before "68 Kill", her strong screen presence suggests that offers are going to start pouring in. She has the look, she has the personality. Heck, she could make one great Marvel superhero, for example.

The film as a whole is great in its bat-poop craziness, and the perfect vehicle for director Trent Haaga. I have been watching Haaga grow as a filmmaker for decades, from being a Troma darling to "Cheap Thrills". With "68 Kill", he has really hit the mainstream, with some bigger name actors and production value that could easily be mistaken for a Hollywood film. He does touch base a bit with the punk rock look of the gas station attendant, and the climax does seem to be something that would fit in alongside "Terror Firmer". Fans of Troma will enjoy this film, as it just keeps pushing the envelope in ways that we never see anymore.

The black humor is endless. We have the "happily ever after" scenario that is quite funny given the amount of money involved. We have lines like "what Dwayne does is his own business" when what Dwayne is doing is certainly more than just his business. This is the blackest of humor with tongue more than firmly placed in cheek.

As with many films, this is not for everyone. Those who are easily offended will be offended. The violence is over the top, the sex is gratuitous… and frequent. But if what offends some is what excites you, this is going to be a must-see. The movie plays March 24 at the Boston Underground Film Festival (BUFF).

A wonderful film full of energy, verve, humour and great characters. Despite the constant mayhem and fun Mr Haaga also manages to include some strong feminist commentary – love all of the gender reversal stuff – and a sub text about what the dollar is really all about, in both the title and the theme that all money has blood on it.

This film mixes a heady concoction of the best bits of Tarantino, Rob Zombie( not a lot of "best bits" to choose from I'll admit ) John Walters and Stuart Gordon but produces an original film that represents another step forward for the genre craftsman Mr Haaga to add to his excellent work on "Deadgirl" and "Cheap Thrills".

Love the direction, cinematography, script and soundtrack and the film feels very much a cohesive and satisfying whole. The performances are very strong – with Matthew Gray Gubler becoming the indie comedy thriller leading man of choice - a post John Waters era James Stewart "everyman" who you automatically like and want to succeed. AnnaLyne McCord gives another remarkable performance, proving that women can be incredibly strong and sexy without being exploited or reverting to a femme fatale stereotype. It's great that Ms McCord has opted for much edgier material than her earlier CV would have automatically lead to ( maybe as the young foil to Cameron Diaz in some lousy rom-com or some such?) She has a feline, reptilian beauty that is perfectly matched to the role she plays here ( she was also stunning in "Excision".) Who knows what she is capable of if someone produces the roles for her? Sheila Vand ( after her performance in "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night" ) is also becoming a very interesting screen presence and Alisha Boe is a heart meltingly sweet in her role who almost, but not quite, makes us forget Ms McCord when she is off screen. So brilliant casting Mr Haaga as well.

I enjoyed the entire movie from start to finish but I have to say that a couple of the set piece scenes deserve to become cult classics in their own right. The "Pop Music " scene ( particularly in the context of what just happened in the film ) is hilarious and deserves to join the pantheon of those in car music movie moments such as the "Wayne's World" Bohemian Rhapsody" episode and the "Trailer scene" is approaching the family meal time scene in the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre " for creepy fun.

Deserves to gain a cult following and I can't wait to see more from the director/writer and cast.

This film is crazy but it manages to work in the end. There is some really nice eye candy as well. Ratings are spot on for this one.