A particular support group is regularly held just for a group of killers. Killers who have all murdered people in the past sit in a small room and discuss some of their darkest secrets about their kills and their upbringing. But things turn for the worst amongst this support group. On the same day the killers meet up for a session, the world is in shock as an assassination attempt is made on a Senator. Suspicion begins to grow amongst the group as the night goes on. Could one of them have other motives? Could one of them be behind the assassination attempt?
The best performance in this film is Gary Oldman. But unfortunately for Sir Oldman, other than in the opening act, his character spends the majority of this film on a stakeout, drinking wine and looking through his binoculars. Right away, I can say that this was not a good film for his career. Another surprise is that Gary Oldman isn’t the leading man in this film as many would hope based on the film’s poster. But wait, there’s more.
Jessica Alba is listed as 3rd billing on the film’s poster, but not only is her performance here a painful one (sorry Jessica, I can’t lie), but to my shocking surprise, her screen time in this film is less than 5 minutes! So if you’re going to watch this film because you’re a massive fan of Alba, you are going to be extremely dissatisfied with your movie selection. I found this element of advertising rather sneaky and somewhat misleading.
Killers Anonymous brings what should be a simple story. Still, thanks to the over the top script and dialogue, viewers will instead listen to characters deliver useless information and watch a dry and slow (rather painful) plot. Films like this shouldn’t require much focus from the audience, but based on the film’s opening act alone (which I rewatched again trying to make sense of it) I found myself confused and frowning for the full duration. Even after the film’s first 30 mins, I was surprised to find how little progress was made in regards to the plot. Any plot progress made takes at least over an hour, but even then it’s still only a minor step forward.
The film does manage to bring some minor creative elements, particularly when it comes to filming. One example of this is when Gary Oldman’s character gets a phone call, and the film interposes the two scenes, so it is as though the caller is sitting right next to him like a normal conversation. This style of filming is trying to assist the humour and attempts at witty dialogue. While I enjoyed this style of filming, it’s ultimately ruined by both the cast’s performances and the script. I couldn’t help but think this film was an attempted mash-up of a “Quentin Tarantino” film mixed with “Smoking Aces” vibes.
Overall, Killers Anonymous is a dissatisfying film. A plot like this should be simple and easy to follow, but it’s not. The concept as a plot is a good one, but the script and uninteresting characters ruin it. Jessica Alba fans will also be shocked to find the actress has a role that lasts less than 5 minutes even though she has 3rd billing on the film’s poster. Certain filming styles and lighting work may bring compliments from some movie fans, but it’s not enough. In the end, I’m in shock and not in a good way either.
1.0/10
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