Killers

Interesting psychological drama.

This movie had the potential to be brilliant. The first half, the set up, was excellent: Japanese killer contacts Indonesian journalist due to a common interest. Intense game of wits and a sort of mentor- student relationship, interspersed with some fairly graphically violent scenes.

However, given all this potential and a fine platform from which to build, the writer and director don't know what to do with it all. What develops from there is clumsy at times and the second half feels random, and the conclusion unprofound.

Even once we have a seemingly satisfactory conclusion, the movie doesn't end there. The writer and director didn't know when to stop the roller-coaster that is this movie!

Ultimately, a fairly good movie, but could have been even better.

this is not a bad movie at all,but it has too much flaws to be a great movie. when i first see the movie backdrop,it sounds very bloody and macabre-ish,but it turns out wrong. this movie is too violent and bloody for mainstream audiences,but too soft for slasher hardcore fan. its like somewhere in the middle. i think mo brothers wanted to disturb the audience by its story rather than the killing scene itself. to me its like a drama movie with serial murder spice in it. don't get it wrong,its good and refreshing since I've never seen things like this in local box office and pretty rare in Hollywood,but Mo Brother failed to hold the tension,this movie gives you a good chills and fun discussion after watching it but obviously far less powerful than Snowtown, (an Australian serial-murder drama,most disturbing movie I've ever seen). i think k.kitamura and o antara saved this movie,their acting skill is top notch and the major high light in this movie!,and im glad im gonna watch this duo again in the raid 2! :D

First, it has to be said that this film is brilliantly shot. The cinematography really is exquisite, and the whole film's aesthetic reminds me of the TV show Hannibal, in that it uses a slot of slow-motion and classic musical pieces as well as looking very elegant despite a lot of disturbing content and gore. The directing here is fine, the screenplay has some holes though. The performances are quite strong too, and really do seem to elevate their script's material. As a whole, this is very bloody and pretty horrifying, would not recommend it to the squeamish, but as a film, it's a fine one, if even very flawed at times. Seek it out.

Following two storylines that gradually become entwined, 'Killers' represents another calculated effort from Timo Tjahjanto and his brother: a dark psychological thriller that follows a serial killer and a journalist and their murky psyches that lead to their violent actions.

Nomura is the charismatic but vicious psychopath who targets women, kidnaps them, and brutally kills them in a myriad of ways on film, then posts his kills online for the disturbing pleasure of voyeurs. Bayu is an ambitious journalist with issues of his own, and soon his dark side will be unleashed after encountering Nomura's footage online. So begins a descent into bloodshed for Bayu, who's vigilante crusade unlocks grimy secrets while sending him down a path that almost feels like his true calling as he begins to interact with Nomura in more ways then he's comfortable.

Despite the subject matter, the Mo Brothers are keen to keep a focus on their narrative and central characters. They understand what to show the audience, and what not to show, when to show it, and vice versa. This prevents the violence from becoming gratuitous for the sake of it, keeping the murderous acts horrifying and not nauseating for the inclination of viewer intensity.

The story runs of steam towards the end, unable to sustain its carefully maintained momentum in the home stretch, but its an entertaining ride nonetheless. The tone is dark, the kills are bloody, and the line between right and wrong is crossed and re-crossed. It's a film that looks at the nature of violence, the catharsis of controlled torture, and saddles the viewer with plenty to contemplate as the story careers towards an inevitable showdown between two very unique yet ultimately villainous killers.

7.5/10

Two men from different cultures, a journalist investigating a corrupt rich man in Jakarta, and a banker turned serial killer from Tokyo meet in a chat room and form an unholy alliance. The Japanese man abducts and tortures women on camera and uploads them on to the internet. The Indonesian writer becomes fascinated by the videos, and through a series of events becomes a killer himself. The movie switches back and forth between the two characters in a fairly seamless fashion. The acting is excellent, with vivid camera work, but be warned of some explicit and bloody violence. It runs a bit too long at two hours and eighteen minutes, but I still recommend Killers as one of the better films of 2014.