Movie Review
Ultraviolence abounds in bloody but stylish Boy Kills World
Bill Skarsgård in Boy Kills World.
For whatever reason, movies with ultraviolence – that is, grisly, very bloody violence – have seemed to proliferate in the 21st century. To be sure, they existed in the 20th century as well, but the number of films featuring it feels like it has gone up exponentially in recent years, especially since the John Wick films have become popular and advances in CGI have allowed filmmakers to become even more creative.
The new film Boy Kills Worldmakes no bones about what viewers will get, as it’s right there in the title. The title character (Bill Skarsgård) is mute, stemming from childhood trauma when he saw his sister get killed by Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen) in an annual event called The Culling. The boy went into exile and has been training for many years with a shaman/mentor (Yayan Ruhmian) to exact revenge on Hilda.
The bulk of film sees him in his return to the city of his youth, where he slowly makes his way up the Van Der Koy ruling ladder, from Hilda’s brother-in-law Glen (Sharlto Copley) to brother Gideon (Brett Gelman) to sister Melanie (Michelle Dockery). At each step, the now-grown boy is met with tons of resistance, although he gets help from a prisoner, Basho (Andrew Koji), whom he frees along the way.
Directed by Moritz Mohr and written by Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers, the film has a light/irreverent tone right from the start that helps to not take the abundance of violence too seriously. Because he’s mute, the boy has given himself an inner monologue voice, one he takes from a Street Fighter-style video game that the audience hears as a constant voiceover. This idea alone is responsible for 90 percent of the film’s humor, as hearing the voice saying his thoughts instead of him actually saying them leads to many unfiltered words coming out of him.
Even though the film’s fight scenes feature an orgy of blood, the stylized nature of the violence keeps it from feeling too “real.” The camera is almost constantly moving, swirling around and through the action, making the film highly entertaining throughout. The variety of shots that Mohr and his team employ, as well as the above average CGI, is more than enough to please cinephiles who also happen to enjoy a guilt-free killing spree.
As it often is in action films, the story doesn’t quite measure up. As the title suggests, all you need to know is that it’s about one person against virtually everyone else in the film, and the hows and whys of how he got there are mostly unnecessary. Some late-film exposition makes up for that lack to a degree, but no one should expect to get overly involved in the storytelling.
Skarsgård has slowly but surely been catching up to the reputation of his older brother, Alexander, and this starring role may move him into full-on stardom despite the fact that never says a word. He more than proves himself as an action star, and his facial reactions make up for not having any dialogue. All of the actors playing Van Der Koys come off well, as does Jessica Rothe as a lead soldier in the Van Der Koys' private militia.
Boy Kills World is a great addition to a film landscape that often feels like it’s dominated by franchises. It has style to spare, using its ultraviolence in a way that satisfies the bloodlust of hardcore action fans without becoming so off-putting that more squeamish people can’t also enjoy it.
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Boy Kills World is now playing in theaters.
