Marcus Garan (Alain Moussi, Kickboxer: Vengeance, Jiu Jitsu) is a wetman for the U.S. Intelligence Community. He’s one of the world’s top assassins, getting his assignments from boss “Mr. X”, Robert Xane (Stephen Dorff, Blade). When Marcus’ wife Karla (Amy Groening, Goon) is caught in the crossfire during his latest operation, he decides to call it quits, and devote all of his efforts to finding his wife’s killer. A year later, he is still struggling with his grief when he receives an invitation from Roman Korza (Gianni Capaldi) on behalf of a mysterious benefactor, offering an exclusive contract of $10 million to kill the self-proclaimed world’s greatest assassin, the King of Killers Jorg Drakos (Frank Grillo, Captain America: The Winter Soldier).
However, when Marcus arrives for the meeting in Tokyo, he discovers that he has been misled, and that Drakos himself is behind the invitation, and that has also invited many other professional killers, giving them the same opportunity to try to kill him. However, only the first to complete the contract, hunting him down somewhere in the maze-like hotel, will be given the money. And anyone who tries to bail out of the challenge will be immediately killed. Among those competing with Garan for the prize are MI6 operative Asha Khanna (Marie Avgeropoulos, The 100), former Marine/NSA sweeper Dyson Chord (writer/director Kevin Grevioux), freelance ASIS employee Rick Nigel (Ryan Tarran, Thor: Ragnarok), swordsman and martial artist Ren Hiro (Shannon Kook, The 100), freelance sniper Zachary Hebron (Dennis Lafond, X-Men: Days of Future Past), and Andre LeCroix (Georges St-Pierre, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Kickboxer: Vengeance). It isn’t long before the assassins start to turn on one another as they realize their odds of winning the money are better if there is less competition. But as they discover that Drakos has rigged the contest in his favor, setting up various traps and distractions, Marcus tries to convince the others that they may be better off working together.
(L-R) Shannon Kook, Gianni Capaldi, Kevin Grevioux, Ryan Tarran, Marie Avgeropoulos and Alain Moussi in Kevin Grevioux’s KING OF KILLERS (Photo Credit: Lionsgate)
King of Killers is based on a graphic novel by writer/director Kevin Grevioux, who is probably best known for his contributions to the Underworld film franchise. The graphic novel inspiration can be seen right from the start, with stylized establishing shots, the way the picture sometimes breaks into multiple panels on the screen, the creative use of color, and the over-the-top blood and violence. As the film opens, we find Marcus in the midst of a mission, donning a fake moustache (which seems to be his MO when going undercover). He is a one-man killing machine, able to take out a room full of armed men with ease. If he doesn’t have a gun, he’ll find something else to use as a weapon, or just take down his enemies with his kicks and punches. But Marcus is also a family man, with a loving wife and daughter at home, who are unaware of what he really does for a living. So when these two worlds collide, he finds himself out for justice. Alain Moussi does a great job with both sides of this character, proving not only that he is an action star, but that he can also be a dramatic leading man.
(L-R) Zoe Worn and Alain Moussi in Kevin Grevioux’s KING OF KILLERS (Photo Credit: Lionsgate)
The cast is filled with many talented stunt people, and it shows. The fight sequences are really well done, combining hand-to-hand combat, kicking, punching, and all varieties of weapons. The fight sequences can be pretty brutal, with blood flying everywhere, legs snapped in half, body parts cut off by swords, heads literally blown up, etc. Some of this blood has obviously been enhanced with CGI, but it fits in with the graphic novel look of the film. Other sequences are a little more grounded, but kicks and punches land in such a way that really sells the contact. While many of the fight sequences in the latter half of the film are one-on-one, there are often multiple fights happening at the same time, and the film does a nice job of cutting back and forth between them.
(L-R) George St-Pierre in Kevin Grevioux’s KING OF KILLERS (Photo Credit: Lionsgate)
As mentioned earlier, the film makes extensive use of color, and this helps to distinguish between locations and fights. As the participants enter the hotel and receive their briefing, the room has an overwhelming blue tone, but as they make their way through the corridors and various rooms of the battlefield, the picture takes on other colors. Whenever one of the professional killers faces off with Drakos, it takes place in an emerald green tone, to match the dragon mask that Drakos wears over the bottom half of his face. Frank Grillo is a talented action star in his own right, and he makes a worthy adversary for these other killers.
(L-R) Frank Grillo in Kevin Grevioux’s KING OF KILLERS (Photo Credit: Lionsgate)
The film’s pacing is a little slow at the beginning, with some nice action sequences to start off the movie, but then taking a lot of time to finally get Marcus to Tokyo for the challenge. But once the contest begins, things stay pretty action-packed and exciting through the rest of the movie. There are some interesting twists and turns to the story, and the film ultimately sets up the possibility of a sequel or larger franchise. I’d definitely be interested in seeing where this story goes next.
Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released King of Killers on physical media on Blu-ray and DVD, but it is also available in 4K on digital. We were sent a copy of the Blu-ray release for review. The picture quality looks excellent, with a nice clear picture and solid level of detail throughout, especially when scenes take on a single color tone. It’s a very stylized and beautiful looking film. The only drawbacks are in a few scenes where the CGI effects are slightly distracting, such as an exterior shot where it’s snowing heavily but nothing is actually accumulating on the car, or when CGI fog fills the room as Marcus and Drakos are facing off. The audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, which is mainly focused in the front and center channels, while the film’s electronic/techno score fills the room.
The Blu-ray release comes with both a Blu-ray and a DVD disc, but oddly they are packed in a standard-sized DVD keepcase rather than a Blu-ray case, which is a bit annoying for the shelves of those who don’t buy DVDs. The DVD disc is placed on a tray in the middle of the case, while the Blu-ray disc is on a peg on the right side. The case also includes redemption instructions for a non-Movies Anywhere digital copy. The keepcase is placed in a glossy slipcover. The discs also contain a short behind-the-scenes featurette and the film’s trailer.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:30:58)
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Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Audio Descriptive
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English Audio Descriptive
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- HD Digital Copy (Not Movies Anywhere Compatible, Vudu Redeem Option)
DVD:
Digital (code may not be valid after 10/10/2024):
Extras:
- Behind the Scenes (7:45)
The cast and crew talk about the premise of the film, the pre-vis process, designing the action sequences, the supporting cast, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes photos and footage, and interviews with director Kevin Grevioux, and stars Gianni Capialdi (“Mr. Korza”) & Alain Moussi (“Marcus Garan”). - Trailer (2:13)
Final Thoughts:
King of Killers is an entertaining action film, with a beautiful stylized look, and some interesting plot twists and turns. It features a talented cast of action stars and stunt people, who bring the film’s over-the-top, and sometimes gruesome fight sequences to life. Lionsgate’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and includes a short behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. It’s worth a look for anyone just looking for a fun popcorn action film.
King of Killers
47% Off $24.99 $9.30 (as of April 26, 2024 06:08 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
King of Killers
$5.99 (as of April 26, 2024 06:08 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
