Killers — Killers( Blu Ray)
Killers is a mid-90s crime thriller/ dark satire, with subtle dabs of post-noir and horror. It regards two on-the-run media savvy killer brothers, who break into a seemingly normal suburban house- finding not what they quite expected…the film features some neat/ surprising twists, and touches of female flesh/ gore. Here from Synapse Films is a Blu-Ray release – featuring a new total uncut scan of the film, a commentary track, and a few other things.
Killers ( Real Killers, Mike Mendez' Killers, Serial Killers) is from 1996. It was directed and co-written by LA-born Mike Mendez. He has seven other feature lengths to his name- these went from sci-fi/ horror parody Bimbo Movie Bash (1997), teens vs demons comedy horror The Convent (2000), heist thriller featuring Henry Rollins The Last Heist (2016), and action horror featuring Dolph Lundgren Don't Kill It (2016). Killers was Mendez’s first film, and while it has a few issues such as decidedly mixed acting & darting editing/ plotting that doesn't always make sense. It has neat twists/ clever genre blends, and an engaging/ keep you on your toes unfold.
The film runs at just shy of the hour and a half mark- and really from the off it’s fairly rapid/ shifting in its pace, as in the first few minutes we see a couple shot gunned up in their beds by two baseball-booted & make-up-wearing men. We shift to news TV footage regarding the crime, and its preparators- two brothers, and how they have been very much playing the media since they got caught, and then we find out they’ve both escaped from death row. Also in the first five to ten minutes- we get to meet the family who are going to get their house invaded by the pair, and the sweary/ blond/no-nonsense female cop whose been sent to track the escapees down.
We get fleeting shots of two or three places where the brothers have been/ slaughtered folks- then the break into the house of the Ryans- who on the surface are a fairly meek, mild and normal- though the wife and older daughter of the family seem somewhat fascinated by the killer brothers- taking in the greased back haired, pony-tailed, and constantly smoking Odessa James(Dave Larsen), and the thinner, ragged neck length haired, and more unpredictable Kyle(David Gunn).
Initially, the film rolls out the tried & tested house invasion tropes- but as we go on it starts to subvert these, before going off down an unexpected/ deranged twist, where we get to find out who exactly Bob is…the fourth & rather mysterious member of the family.
The acting is highly mixed—moving between rather flat/ bland and hamming it up/overdone—but the deeper you get into the film, the less this seems to matter. I think the highlight here is Larsen, who plays his role rather like a pulpy/cool noir villain, constantly smoking and quoting moody dialogue.
It’s clear that Killers was influenced/ informed by Natural Born Killers, but it does manage to do something interesting/ original enough with the house invasion/ crime thriller, and if you can get past the uneven acting & a few other issues, this will be enjoyed by those who enjoy their genre a little more skewed/ twisted.
This recent Blu-Ray is region-free. The scan here looks good enough, not sure if it’s a new scan or not- but it’s certainly a step up from your standard ’90s DVD print.
On the extra side, the main thing here is a commentary track with director Mike Mendez and horror scholar Michael Gingold- this is a most interesting/ worthy director track, which is very down-to-earth/ego-free. They kick off discussing why the film kicks in with no credits, and talk about how the bedroom shoot-up was shot/ timed to The Doors “This Is The End”- but they couldn't use it. We find out he & lead actor/ producer Dave Larsen were only in their 20s during filming, and it was largely shot between each parent's house. They touch on the film's inspiration- the true crimes of the Menendez brothers & OJ Simpson, as well as Natural Born Killers. We find out most of the extra/ bit parts were played by the pairs' family/friends. We find out the film started off as they had short-end left over from a previous project, and they had a crew of just seven- a true indie production!. Later on, they discuss how the director worked with the lead actors. We get talk about how the plot twist/ go weird part of the film came out/ issues with it, and much more. Most certainly worth a play track.
Otherwise, on the disc, we get an alternative ending, and a cut/ uncut trailer. There’s an eight-page inlay booklet with new writing from critic/writer Heather Drain, whose input to releases is always worth checking.
Killers is very much a game of two halves. Its first half or so is a home invasion/ satire of media interest in criminals, before things go odd/ surprising, as things are very much flipped on their heads. I’d say you’ll have to be used to decidedly mixed indie acting, and able to suspend your belief in a few places to fully enjoy the film, but I’m certainly glad I saw it…oh and if you’re interested in 1990s indies- the commentary track is must.