Film Review: They Will Kill You

They Will Kill You, a horror-comedy starring Zazie Beetz, Heather Graham, Tom Felton and Patricia Arquette, dropped in theatres last week, and I was lucky enough to see it beforehand—so here are my thoughts.

The film follows Asia (Zazie Beetz), an ex-con who becomes a housekeeper in a New York City high-rise hotel, but naturally, nothing is as squeaky clean as it first appears. The narrative jumps through past and present, gradually revealing the events that have led to Asia working at the Virgil. 

The film centres around control and revenge, and the film wastes little time cementing the uneasy tone and paranoia from the get go. Admittingly, I was a little worried when the main scenes from the trailer played out within the first thirty minutes, but that was until we were presented with the first major twist in the ninety-minute runtime - realising that the marketing has been excellent and had avoided overexposing the film early on. 

The performances are strong throughout, particularly from Beetz, who carries much of the emotional weight of the story. The soundtrack complements the on-screen action perfectly too, with artists like Nova Twins and Anna Calvi elevating key moments. A personal highlight was hearing Dead Man's Bones - Ryan Gosling’s 2007 project - playing around the cinema.

Kirill Sokolov’s direction really shines, and I loved the variety of shots and camera angles used throughout. At times, it felt as though we were inside the film rather than simply watching it, which added an immersive quality.

For me, the story unfolds as a slow burn. Although it begins with frequent kills and high energy, there is a noticeable lull in the middle where the pacing slows and the narrative loses some momentum. That said, there are still several laugh-out-loud moments to push through with and little nods to some classic horror to keep an eye out for. 

Overall, I found this to be a fun and stylish film. If you’re looking for a straightforward, no-nonsense slasher, this isn’t the one for you. However, if you want a beautifully directed, genre-bending film with a strong, badass female lead, then this is definitely worth a watch.

3/5 - ⭐⭐⭐

Article By Neave Farry