BiTS '17 Film Review - Kill Order

David (Chris Mark) has a haunting dream where he is being medically prodded then sees a suggestive fiery figure demanding that he kill. At that points he wakes sweating, heart pounding as the alarm clock goes off in the background. He heads off to his academy school still dazed for the first class on psychosocial development.  Into first period burst a tactical team looking for David. They attempt to take him down when his hidden skills buried deep inside kick in along with his natural instincts to disable the team and escape.

This is an action film that delivers. From the first sequence when David takes out the kill team. The choreography is on point and the benefit of casting stunt people in the acting roles is clearly apparent. David is part Jason Bourne and a third Neo as he flows through the classroom taking out his adversaries.

Writer/ Director James Marsh tells a tale that is low on dialogue in its place is hand-to-hand combat, swords, slo-mo/fast paced gravity-defying sci-fi effects, blunt objects, and knives. The sets of these battles are low tech, a classroom, apartment, clearing in a forest and a medical facility. The soundtrack works in concert to communicate the intensity of the battle with David's implanted training kicking in where required. Marsh takes a co-credit for stunt coordination plus acts as the literal Ying to Davids' Yang. Besides starring as David Chris Mark also serves as fight coordinator for the film.

The narrative slowly gives clues to David's past. There's Shiro Fujitaka (Denis Akiyama) the head of the Saisei Corporation that's hit upon a new energy source. The shadowy Mr. Collins (Jason Gosbee) with a team of sunglasses suited goons that walk and talk like Agents from the Matrix. Then there's the Organization an off the book entity authors of David's augmentation in the first place.

Kill Order is a chance for the unsung to step out from the shadows and in front of the camera. The cast filled with stunts performers do the heavy lifting but don't hear cut to be replaced when its time for a close-up. The narrative is secondary to the visuals as it should be for this type of film, making it  an overload for the visual pleasure sensors not to mention a seamless set up for a sequel.

*** Out of 4.

Kill Order | James Marsh | Canada | 2017 | 77 Minutes.

Tags: Orphan, Programming, Experimentation, Reprogramming, Trigger, Tactical Team, Clean Up Crew, Spirit Energy, Kill-Love, Electric Shock, Purpose, No Name, Ying-Yang, Revenge.