Let’s get this out of the way. Yes, with its “poor girl being hunted through a building by rich a-hole satanists” scenario, They Will Kill You is reminiscent, on a general level, of Ready or Not and yes, it’s definitely a weird choice for Warner Bros. to release it at the very same time Ready or Not 2 is in theaters. But the movie still is plenty entertaining in its own right, even as it very much feels influenced by several notable cinematic touchstones.
Zazie Beetz stars as Asia Reaves, a newly released convict who takes a job at the Virgil, a fancy New York hotel, as part of a quest to find the younger sister (Maria, played by Myha'la) she hasn’t seen in years. But very quickly, Asia discovers that she’s just walked into the midst of a satanic cult who intend for her to be their next sacrifice.
Director and co-screenwriter (alongside Alex Litvak) Kirill Sokolov brings a lot of energy and wit to the film, while also making it pretty clear what movies likely influenced They Will Kill You. At its core, you could easily describe what’s happening as Ready or Not meets Kill Bill, with the latter film looming large once we get the first attack on Asia and she reveals just how physically capable she is. Sokolov and cinematographer Isaac Bauman’s ever-moving camera flies around the room as Asia uses a bevy of weapons to slice, chop and shoot her way through her enemies, with over the top flourishes like literal sprays of blood, as though it’s a carbonated soda that’s been shaken up, that will feel familiar to anyone who’s watched Beatrix Kiddo take on the Crazy 88.
Of course, Tarantino was himself mimicking moves he’d seen in old martial arts movies, and it’s just as likely Sokolov has seen those same movies, and has the same affection for the snap zooms and other stylistic techniques employed here. And understanding what movies are being evoked hardly stops They Will Kill You from being a fun, bloody time in its own right.
This is all helped in a big way but what a terrific leading lady Atlanta and Deadpool 2’s Beetz is, in what is a highly physical role she completely and credibly dives into. Asia is a wound up force of nature, and the way Beetz punches, kicks, climbs, and scurries about throughout the film – barefoot the whole time, no less, in what adds a touch of Die Hard to the proceedings – completely sells her determination and resilience.
Lots of interesting nooks and crannies are explored throughout the hotel, including unusual areas added by its resident satanists, including small secret passages, huge elevator shafts, and, amusingly, a level called the “fuck floor” for reasons that are apparent. Sokolov gets a lot of mileage out of these different settings, which allow for different kinds of confrontations to occur.
The trailers have held back from revealing one extra element about how the satanists operate that is a fun curveball once it’s introduced and adds to the stakes and to Asia’s predicament. It’s just too bad the satanists aren’t more interesting as characters. With the exception of Paterson Joseph and Patricia Arquette (a great actress doing a not-so-great Irish accent) as a husband and wife duo working at the Virgil, there is little time spent fleshing out who these guys are with any modicum of specific characterization, even when some of them are played by highly recognizable faces like Heather Graham and Tom Felton.
Essentially, the satanists are there as pins to be knocked down by Asia, and on that front, they do their job well, with some very amusing and graphic moments of her tearing through them. One scene in particular, involving Asia wielding a flaming axe, is an absolute rush. And though there are some scenes with dreaded (and obvious) digital gore, enough delivers on the visceral front for a crowd-pleasing time.
Produced by IT’s Andy & Barbara Muschietti, They Will Kill You runs out of a bit of steam in its third act, not quite maintaining the momentum it had established beforehand. But it ultimately is able to deliver more mayhem by the end, powered by how satisfying it is to see Beetz wield one weapon after another against her enemies.
The movie also isn’t afraid to get quite weird, including one very funny sequence involving a body part with an apparent mind of its own, that feels very Evil Dead 2-coded. And yes, this reinforces that there is a bit of a “Hey, this feels like that movie… and that movie!” throughout They Will Kill You, including a touch of Rosemary’s Baby that’s underlined by an outwardly sweet and friendly elderly satanist couple Asia encounters. But it’s a bunch of different movie homage ingredients that make for a pretty tasty stew.
