Round one!
Operating like a mad take on a game of Mortal Kombat (and just as kinetic), Boy Kills World is a violent thrill ride as a man named “Boy” gets his revenge on the woman who murdered his family. Be warned as this action flick is not for the weak of heart. Nor is it for anyone who wants any ounce of believability in their story. With little dialogue, this story of martial arts mayhem has one thing on its mind: blood.
And it delivers the spillage in spades, pausing only once and awhile to catch its breath.
Directed by Moritz Mohr and produced by Sam Raimi, Roy Lee, Simon Swart, Alex Lebovici, Stuart Manashil, Wayne Fitzjohn, Zainab, Azizi, and Dan Kagan, Boy Kills World is all about the shock and awe of violence. The camera spins around each stunning fight sequence, never bothering to consider its audience. It’s a movie that captures every kick, every punch, every bone crack, and every bloody nose.
And it works to create a movie that transcends a video game-like environment to make you actually feel like you are there fighting alongside Bill Skarsgård.
Skarsgård is "Boy" who vows revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt post-apocalyptic dynasty that left the boy orphaned, deaf and voiceless. He is trained in the jungle by a mysterious shaman (Yayan Ruhian) to become an instrument of death. These training sessions are sometimes hilarious and, more often than not, kinetically charged as they burst with hyper-realism which only hints at the violence and the throat punches to come.
Through it all, Boy is driven by his inner voice (H. Jon Benjamin, who narrates the movie with hilarious undertones). It is a voice he “borrowed” from his favorite video game as he flexes his skills and becomes stronger and stronger until he is ready to face Van Der Koy and send her straight to Hell.
On the eve of the annual culling of dissidents in this twisted vision of our future, Bedlam ensues as Boy incites a wrath of carnage and blood-letting. As he tries to get his bearings in this delirious realm, Boy soon falls in with a desperate resistance group - a team! - while his inner voice bickers with the ghost of his rebellious little sister.
To put it bluntly, this movie is bonkers in all the right ways. The stylized action sequences are a lot like Crank - an American action film written and directed by Neveldine/Taylor in their directorial debuts, which starred Jason Statham and Amy Smart - as the camera’s kinetic movement is not deterred from the unreality demonstrated in the often hilarious action sequences. But that was 2006 and a lot has changed since then when it comes to filmmaking. Mohr uses these upgrades well and, thanks to a script by Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers, we also get the necessary B-grade traits of the characters to fill the blood-soaked pages of this revenge flick.
Co-starring Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Isaiah Mustafa, Andrew Koji and Sharlto Copley, Boy Kills World might have more than one screw loose, but that’s part of the charm in this adrenaline-charged revenge rager. Roadside Attractions will be releasing BOY KILLS WORLD nationwide, in theaters only, on Friday, April 26th – including multiple local area theaters.
Let the carnage begin!
MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 115 mins
Director: Moritz Mohr
Writer: Tyler Burton Smith; Arend Remmers; Moritz Mohr
Cast: Bill Skarsgård; Famke Janssen; Jessica Rothe
Genre: Action | Crime | Thriller
Tagline: From Producers of Evil and Barabarian
Memorable Movie Quote: "Insert crazy action montage!"
Theatrical Distributor: Lionsgate
Official Site:
Release Date: April 26, 2024
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: A fever dream action film that follows Boy, a deaf person with a vibrant imagination. When his family is murdered, he is trained by a mysterious shaman to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of death.
