

Review: Killerman

The poster for Killerman features Liam Hemsworth standing under the glow of florescent lights while angrily pointing a gun at someone not pictured in the frame. This stylish looking poster makes Killerman look like a badass action movie, or a film about a hitman looking to shoot his way out of a bad situation.

Killerman is neither.

Moe (Liam Hemsworth) is a money launderer in New York City. After a deal goes bad, Moe has a head injury and wakes up with amnesia. The story should be crime thriller about two low level criminals trying to get a bigger piece of the pie. Sadly, this story drunkenly stumbles into a memory loss plot – a predictable plot stacked with cliches and characters staring with confused faces. You know….the movie where a guy has to retrace his steps to figure out who he is.

Despite being handcuffed with a memory loss character, Hemsworth does a good job as Moe. Most of his dialogue is him questioning what’s happening around him (or screaming), yet he manages to make it work. Hemsworth performance elevates the film and the actors around him.

What fails Hemsworth, and the film, isn’t just the predictable plot, but how absolutely ridiculous the final act is. The final act is laughably insane and the “twist” only makes it more silly. It’s the kind of insane ending that asks audiences to turn their brain off and not notice how quickly the film is unraveling.

Killerman could’ve been an insightful antihero movie about the underbelly of New York City crime and two low level criminals trying to work their way up. Or a gritty crime drama about a young criminal trying to find his way. All those seeds are there when the film opens, but none of it is used. Instead, it’s a movie draped in action movie tropes and surface level dialogue.

The one positive takeaway is Liam’s ability to carry action film. Hopefully, he’ll find himself in a better project next time.

Grade: D

Tim Hall