A24 assembles an attractive cast for the dark comedy How to Make a Killing — while the writer behind Seven returns to horror with the ominous Psycho Killer.
How to Make a Killing Movie Review
If one of the main goals of a movie is to give us attractive, likable people to stare at, How to Make a Killing does a fine job. Heartthrob of the moment Glen Powell plays Becket Redfellow, the estranged youngest scion of a billionaire family; Margaret Qualley plays Julia, a childhood friend turned devious schemer; and Jessica Henwick plays Becket’s well-meaning girlfriend.
Cast out of the Redfellow dynasty, Becket is determined to reclaim his place — and substantial fortune — by any means necessary. If that involves killing off his generally despicable relatives, so be it. Julia watches the (mostly comedic) carnage from afar, seeking an advantage; as the body count piles up and the walls close in, Becket is forced to make a series of desperate decisions.
Unfortunately, How to Make a Killing — a sophomore effort from Emily the Criminal helmer John Patton Ford — either doesn’t decide what it is or fails to convince the viewer that such a choice has been made. It certainly has funny moments and positions itself as a dark comedy, but it operates more like a tense drama … minus the tension. The likable cast also features Topher Grace, Ed Harris and reliable character actor Bill Camp; the performers make what they can out of the ho-hum material. By the time the twists untangle, though, you may well have mentally left the theater.
Psycho Killer Movie Review
Andrew Kevin Walker can be counted as minor nobility in the horror genre, having penned the excellent script for Seven. That’s a credit to make a career out of, and Walker has done just that, contributing to the screenplays for other David Fincher products (including Fight Club and The Game) while turning in a number of other less memorable, but not unsuccessful, efforts (Sleepy Hollow, Windfall).
Psycho Killer, a fairly straightforward slasher with a sinister atmosphere, is not quite up to the standard of even Walker’s middling efforts. A cross-country police pursuit in the guise of a slasher movie, Psycho Killer concerns the rampage of a hulking, Satanic murderer (James Preston Rogers). That spree includes the killing of a highway patrolman during a traffic stop; the fallen officer’s widow (Georgina Campbell) undertakes a quest for vigilante justice.
The great Malcolm McDowell turns up for a bit as a hedonistic devil worshipper, livening up the middle act, but Psycho Killer sputters long before a series of undercooked revelations in the final reel. What merit the film has belongs to director Gavin Polone, in his feature debut; in the early-going, he captures the bleak and cold reality of modern travel, depicting desolate roadsides and hardscrabble motels with no shortage of atmosphere. I’m eager to see what Polone does next; hopefully, he’s given better material.
Imagine a Little Midwinter Break … or Just Hang Out with Paul McCartney
The actors Ciarán Hinds and Lesley Manville are phenomenal, but early reviews have been mixed for their two-hander, Midwinter Break. The film follows a married couple as they’re reminded of the past on a visit to Amsterdam.
The excellent documentarian Morgan Neville helms Paul McCartney: Man on the Run, an all-access look at the musician in the decade after the dissolution of The Beatles. Neville’s films have included acclaimed biographies of Fred Rogers and Anthony Bourdain, but it was another music doc, 20 Feet From Stardom, that earned him an Oscar; that bodes well for Man on the Run.
The faith-based film I Can Only Imagine, about the writing of the song of that title — the top-selling single of all time among Christian tunes — was an unexpected hit. Hence, there’s a sequel (even without the benefit of another hit record), I Can Only Imagine 2 …
The Flashback Cinemas series, found in smaller theater chains throughout the country, revives a Hollywood favorite every Sunday night. This week’s pick remains one of the best in-theater experiences of all time: Jurassic Park. Visit Flashback Cinema for screening locations.
Story by Sean Collier
Photo Courtesy of A24‘s How to Make a Killing
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