Title – Kill Me Three Times (2014)
Director – Kriv Stenders (Red Dog)
Cast – Simon Pegg, Sullivan Stapleton, Teresa Palmer, Alice Braga, Luke Hemsworth, Callan Mulvey, Bryan Brown
Plot – Hitman for hire Charlie Wolfe (Pegg) gets caught up in a game of murder and deceit in a small West Australian town where anyone and everyone seems to be hiding a secret.
“I’m having a bad day here”
Review by Eddie on 17/09/2015
“Once is never enough” – a tagline used to promote Kill Me Three Times and a tagline that couldn’t be more far from the truth as one single watch of this dire Australian black comedy is most certainly enough.
On the back of one of the most successful Australian films of all time, Red Dog, you’d think that long time director Kriv Strenders would’ve known a thing or two about making a competent and well-made feature length film but judging by Kill Me Three Times, the director certainly has a fair bit more to learn about what it takes to deliver when it comes to filmmaking treats.
Kill Me Three Times is sad to say as a proud Australian, yet another telling example of why quite often local productions fail to resonate with either local or international audiences and while the locations of this West Australian set comedy/thriller certainly look nice and I’m sure the crew enjoyed their two weeks away in the sun and sand, Kill Me Three Times lacks any type of personality, heart or most tellingly for a comedy caper like this, wit. Too often Australian productions come off as amateurish and rushed and Stenders film is both of those things plus more with an abysmal scripting, unlikeable characters, plodding editing and one of the single most annoying scores ever committed to screen by Johnny Klimek (without exaggeration the score is almost too much to handle) and not even a name cast can save the film.
Cast against type as a hitman who likes to laugh (a lot) Simon Pegg is the single watchable acting presence in the entire production in which the likes of 300’s Sullivan Stapleton, Warm Bodies’ Teresa Palmer and local industry veteran Bryan Brown all meander about getting to chew on atrocious dialogue and get involved in increasingly unlikely circumstances. Perhaps they all signed on thinking this was going to be some type of Aussie flavoured Pulp Fiction but more likely they all saw the benefits of a nice paid holiday.
With an insubstantial plot, a lack of any rhythm or rhyme and with a wasted cast, this nasty box office and critical flop is most defiantly not worth your time. A shame as there was potential here but in the end being killed once is more than enough as we’re safe then, never having to watch this tripe again.
1 why didn’t I just watch Red Dog? out of 5
Aside from a few road warriors, I have a limited perspective on Australian film making. I am sad to see Simon Pegg in a film which isn’t worth my time. Pegg is, aside from the rare decent film and his past works, is quickly becoming the British Nicholas Cage.
Agreed mate, his kind of become a parody of himself sadly. His pretty good here but I would love to see him do something really worthy.
E
I appreciated his recent ‘Hector and the Search for Happiness’ but most of his films seem to be falling short lately. Fingers crossed.
I’ve yet to see that mate, my other half really liked it so will have to track down a copy!
E
Yeah this was a major disappointment for me too, just recently reviewed it myself and couldn’t bring myself to recommend it to even Pegg fans, even if he is the best thing about this by a long shot
It’s a real shame dude, I remember when it was first announced it all sounded sweet, especially the cast but it ended up being a major fail.
E
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Reblogged this on GUM: Growing Up Millennial.
Spot on review..though the scenery ..damn the scenery was beautiful. That house on the beach..I’ve had dreams of living in a place like that! ha!
Yeh Western Australia has an abundance of such places! It’s a beautiful part of the world.
E
I was so let down by this. It just felt like a bad neo-grindhouse movie
I feel your pain Kieran!
E