The Killing Gene (2007)

A calculating killer coerces a detective to pay for his previous mistakes.

Director:

Tom Shankland

Writer:

Clive Bradley (screenplay)

Stars:

Stellan Skarsgård, Melissa George, Ashley Walters

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Eddie Argo
Melissa George	...	Helen Westcott
Ashley Walters	...	Daniel Leone
Tom Hardy	...	Pierre Jackson
Paul Kaye	...	Dr. Gelb
John Sharian	...	Jack Corelli
Selma Blair	...	Jean Lerner
Barbara Adair	...	Alice Jackson
Peter Ballance	...	Trucker (as Peter Balance)
Sally Hawkins	...	Elly Carpenter
Lauren Hood	...	Sharon Williams
Caroline Lee-Johnson	...	Gillian (as Caroline Lee Johnson)
Sean Brian Chipango	...	Jamal Osman / Khaled Osman (as Brian 'Saen' Jordan)
Sheila Kerr	...	Alison Lerner
Michael Liebmann	...	Wesley Smith (as Michael Liebman)

Storyline

A series of deaths have started occurring in New York; Some are being found mutilated while others have an equation wÎ"z = Cov (w,z) = ßwzVz carved onto their skin. As police investigate they discover each victim was forced to choose between sacrificing their own life or a loved ones' life. Before long it becomes clear that this perpetrator has suffered just such a similar fate...so now is coping by seeking a way of solving this philosophical enigma, can Captain Maclean and his officers such as Eddie Argo and his new partner Helen Westcott stop this suspect, because he/she won't not until he/she gets to the end of this equation.

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Plot Keywords:

uncircumcised penis | penis | hairy chest | naked corpse | police | 

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Taglines:

Love doesn't hurt. It kills.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence including a rape, gruesome images and pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Spain]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 February 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Killing Gene

Filming Locations:

Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vertigo Films, UK Film Council, Ingenious Film Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Associate producer Brock Norman Brock, supporting actor Tom Hardy, and cinematographer Morten Søborg shortly after this film would work with Nicolas Winding Refn. Brock (as co-writer) and Hardy (in the lead titular role) in Bronson (2008) and Søborg (who is famous for his work with Refn) in Walhalla Rising (2009).

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Goofs

When Detective Jackson is looking through Daniel Leone's criminal history, one of the entries states that he was charged with possession of "crystal methadone." There is no such substance. It would either be crystal methamphetamine or simply methadone - most likely the former.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Daniel Leone: [to on looking cops staring at him hugging Eddie] What The FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
[covers a naked Eddie with a blanket]

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Crazy Credits

The end credits roll while a proof of the Price equation shows up.

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Connections

References I Spit on Your Grave (1978)

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Soundtracks

Hostile
Written by Diamond/Hall/McTiernan
Performed by Machine W!elding Weapons
Published by A7 Music
Courtesy of 7PM Management

User Reviews

Superior to Saw and other so-called torture porn

To begin with, this movie isn't just another torture porn flick that we've seen a glut of in recent times (Saw, Hostel and the like). There's actually a decent plot regarding the murderer and their victims, something that examines humanity's darker side yet goes beyond the base sadism displayed in actual torture porn, which this isn't. The marketing campaign gave it the appearance of such a film and i was nearly put off, however my optimism got the better of me as I confess, I am a huge horror fan and there were glimpses that it could be quite good. And it is, in fact it's very good.

There's a rugged brutal efficiency in the way this film goes about delivering the goods. You've got your cops, new and old, with sketchy case files and hints of crookedness, a scientific theory of genetics being exploited by our murderer and a gang of outlaws who are being targeted. All of it is carried out with appropriate macabre and occasional wit and humour, good, edgy hand-held camera techniques, clever acting and a pacey script. I thought it was great on an intelligence level and I squirmed every time there was a 'nail' scene.

I was even more surprised to learn afterwards that this was a British production, was shot in Belfast and used a largely British cast, yet had me fooled as to it's New York setting and convincing accents. What more can i say apart from wow, i love this movie? I also realised after that Waz is Saw backwards, and a cynic may say that is opportunistic marketing, but to them i say, see the movie and tell me it doesn't at least give Saw a run for it's money, if not kick it's stupid face off. Saw's ideas were good, but their killer seemed a flimsy afterthought to me. In Waz, the killer and their motives are integral to the plot,(which surprises before a satisfactory ending)and it's hard not to find empathy for the killer, something i never got in Saw. The great script and acting add depth and character to the story, which hit me with surprises and left me feeling contemplative, which is unusual for horror today.

Verdict: Come for the torture, stay for the good movie