The Kill Hole

Understated and Quiet Story About War Veterans with a Residue of Unspeakable Acts Committed During the Fog of War. This Low-Budget and Under-Appreciated Movie Looks Great and the Acting with Believable Performances is Above Average in this B-Movie.

Maybe it's the Lack of Action that Disappoints Viewers that Expected this to be All Glitzy with Guns Ablaze and the Violence Visceral. But that isn't the Intent of this Personal Vision of Vets with Guilt and Coping Mechanisms Elusive.

It is a Good Story and this is a Misunderstood Movie that is Way Better than its Reputation and Critical Dismissal. The Mountain Scenes are Stylish and Sprawling and the Two-Man Confrontation is Done with Dignity and is a Respectful Take on Psychically "Wounded Warriors".

The Inclusion of Real Life Military Types in a Tell All Support Group was a Risky Effort but it Works as a Back Story and the Front Story of Soldiers Returning from The Front is Done with Some Style but Never is it Pretentious, Just Prescient.

Overall, an Under-Seen, Underrated Small Film from a Debut Director that Manages to Make it All Work. Definitely Recommended for Thinkers and Action Fans Should Look Elsewhere for That Thing.

I haven't reviewed a movie in a while but after seeing the 3.4 rating for "The Kill Hole", I felt compelled to respond. I gave it a 10. Not that it's truly one of the great movies like "Apocalypse Now", which it echoes in some ways, but its exceptional qualities are very distinctive. The writing is outstanding. If you're looking for an action movie, then you came to the wrong place. I was ready to turn it off immediately if I found it too slow, but the dialog was compelling and dealt with moral issues central to war: personal responsibility, relationship to authority, how sanctioned violence changes those who act under its mandate and so easily drifts into the indefensible. The acting is superb. Boseman and Kittles give Broadway-level performances and they bring a sizzling commitment to the dialog. It's a true confrontation, filmed with interesting cuts that actually work rather than simply trying to be hip or jarring. Billy Zane is great as the leader of a vets support group and the non-actor veterans who appear in the group speak from the gut and clearly speak their personal truths. The "bad guys" are very much so but acted with pizzaz and, despite being reprehensible, are used to explore the line between punishment and revenge. Landscapes are rendered beautifully, the city scenes are convincing. This could have been a 2-person stage production with the vets group acting as a Greek chorus of sorts; view it as a compelling play fleshed out somewhat for the screen and one won't be disappointed by the lack of action.

This is no masterwork but it has a unique atmosphere and decent acting. It just wasn't as "fast paced" as many viewers tend to demand. Pity, it asks you to think! The introspective soundtrack also helps with that.

At least one IMDB reviewer seems to have not fully watched the film, claiming there's no action (as if it was mandatory anyhow) and calling PNW wilderness "the jungle" (wrong latitude).

Anything that celebrates mountain country, for better or worse, has my vote. Location info just says the Portland area and I'm wondering which mountains are shown. One certainly looks like Mt. Hood.

The main flaws were some logistically unexplained scenes and other minor details. Definitely worth watching if you like the basic elements.

Not in content, style, skill, or soul, mind you; just in more surface-y ways. A war vet who drives a taxi deals with extreme PTSD while overbearing narration blankets much of the film. Still, despite some uncomfortably bad moments that you may expect from this kind of ultra-low-budget thriller, there's way more intrigue and dramatic weight than one might expect, especially when focused on the plight and consequences of the all-too-real forgotten servicemen.

I watched this in 2013. Chadwick Boseman had just become famous for being in 42.

The film flows well, and while you can tell the budget was small, they made a good film.

The clothing the characters wore was arranged extremely well. I know this is a small thing, but when Chadwick's character is in his apartment everything from his shorts, to the type of socks he wore, made the scene whole.

At times the film could be a normal buddy movie, and it's nice to watch, which makes the sinister aspect even deeper. We can all relate to the crazy people more than we'd like to think.

For us ladies the film balances showing how handsome both the men are, while making a serious film.