The Killer’s Game [4K Ultra HD]

Director: JJ Perry

Cast: Dave Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews

Release Date: November 19, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 6/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

In the new action-comedy THE KILLER’S GAME, when top hit man Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he decides to take matters into his own hands – by taking a hit out on himself. But when the very hit men he hired also target his ex-girlfriend (Sofia Boutella), he must fend off an army of assassin colleagues and win back the love of his life before it’s too late.

‘The Killer’s Game’ joins a talented assassin named Joe Flood who after a thriving career of hired hits begins to contemplate trying to get out when he meets and falls in love with a beautiful dancer. But when his ongoing headaches and disorientation start to become a concern he discovers that he has a terminal illness with three months at most left. Unwilling to let himself fall apart and die a long, painful death he decides to take a hit out on himself before that can happen. But when he discovers there was a mix-up and that the assassins are now after the woman he loves as leverage, Joe will have to fight his way through the mass of hired killers now out to get him if he hopes to save her and stay alive.

Directed by JJ Perry (Day Shift) from a screenplay written by Rand Ravich (The Astronaut’s Wife) and James Coyne (Puncture Wounds) and Based on the book The Killer’s Game by Jay R. Bonansinga, Perry does a capable job at the helm of ‘The Killer’s Game’ guiding along the goofy action and fun with fast-paced style. The film’s cast includes Dave Bautista (Knock at the Cabin), Sofia Boutella (Rebel Moon), Terry Crews (The Expendables), Scott Adkins (John Wick: Chapter 4), Pom Klementieff (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One) and Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3) who each offer decent and fitting, albeit somewhat silly performances in their respective roles.

‘The Killer’s Game’ is a fun, fast-paced ride that’s loaded with bloody violence and laughs. It keeps the goofy fun and over the top action coming at full speed and if you can shut down your brain and ignore the various issues that it suffers throughout it’s an awfully enjoyable ride as a whole. The story is fast and fun, while the violence is brutal, yet it does get bogged down at times due to some almost painfully silly writing that jumps throughout and features some one liners that are so bad you can’t help but roll your eyes in response, with some even more ridiculous than others (come on Ben Kingsley, you’re better than that).

The violence and action keeps an aggressive tone and style, yet the overwhelming quantity of horrid looking CG blood spraying in every direction becomes increasingly hard to ignore as the film progresses and while many films understandably may not be want to or even be capable of keeping things practical, I’m sorry to say the CG blood in ‘The Killer’s Game’ is unusually obvious and it just looks truly bad.

Fortunately the humorous tone and approach of ‘The Killer’s Game’ as well as the consistent action and the collection of entertaining characters that populate it all help to keep the film from completely falling apart and even help it to excel to slightly above average. If you enjoy a fun and violent action comedy that never takes itself too seriously or are a fan of the key cast led by Dave Bautista, then ‘The Killer’s Game’ is certainly worth taking the time to check out and the mindless fun and violence is definitely quite entertaining, especially with plenty of laughs sprinkled throughout in addition. It may not be a magnificent film and it likely won’t make any Awards noise, but if you’re seeking to be entertained and amused for a couple hours it should have no trouble delivering.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Killer’s Game’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 2.00:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks spectacular as a whole and delivers a clean, sharp and gorgeous presentation from start to finish without any unexpected issues or glitches to be found along the way. Detail is outstanding on everything from character faces and attire to the various locations and action sequences throughout, while the Dolby Vision HDR improves upon much of it by contributing richer, more lifelike coloring noticeable on clothing, vehicles and even the rough looking CG blood. Black levels and shadowing also hold up splendidly in addition. Overall, this is a fantastic Ultra High Definition presentation that looks great at every turn and should easily excite fans and newcomers.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is a complete blast and it offers a clean, crisp and hard hitting audio presentation throughout. It constantly takes advantage of all seven available channels in order to send a whirlwind of bullets, explosions and vehicle effects, along with plenty more zipping throughout the various speakers with consistency, while never causing any simultaneously occurring dialogue or other audio elements to become distorted or negatively impacted in the process. Overall, this is a marvelous Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that repeatedly contributes to the fun and excitement throughout.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Killer’s Game’ offers some entertaining extras in the way of Behind the Scenes Featurettes that feature interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. They include ‘Meet Joe Flood’ (running approximately 5 minutes in length), ‘The Conductor’ (running approximately 5 minutes), ‘World of Assassins’ (approximately 6 minutes), and ‘Killed It!’ (7 minutes). The film’s ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (2 minutes) is also included.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

–

Film Rating: 6/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

–

‘The Killer’s Game’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from Lionsgate

–

You can purchase ‘The Killer’s Game’ on 4K UHD at Amazon HERE!

*Screen-Connections.com is an Amazon Associate that earns from qualifying purchases