Killing Season (2013)

Two veterans of the Bosnian War, one American, one Serbian, find their unlikely friendship tested when one of them reveals their true intentions.

Director:

Mark Steven Johnson

Writer:

Evan Daugherty

Stars:

Robert De Niro, John Travolta, Milo Ventimiglia

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert De Niro	...	Benjamin Ford
John Travolta	...	Emil Kovac
Milo Ventimiglia	...	Chris Ford
Elizabeth Olin	...	Sarah Ford
Diana Lyubenova	...	Elena
Kalin Sarmenov	...	Serbian
Stefan Shterev	...	Bar Customer

Storyline

Killing Season tells the story of two veterans of the Bosnian War, one American, one Serbian, who clash in the Appalachian Mountain wilderness. FORD is a former American soldier who fought on the front lines in Bosnia. When our story begins, he has retreated to a remote cabin in the woods, trying to escape painful memories of war. The drama begins when KOVAC, a former Serbian soldier, seeks Ford out, hoping to settle an old score. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game in which Ford and Kovac fight their own personal World War III, with battles both physical and psychological. By the end of the film, old wounds are opened, suppressed memories are drawn to the surface and long-hidden secrets about both Ford and Kovac are revealed.

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Plot Keywords:

shot in the back of one's head | bosnian war | shrapnel | execution | revenge | 

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Taglines:

The purest form of war is one on one.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, some torture, and language including some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Belgium Bulgaria

Language:

English Serbian

Release Date:

25 July 2013 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Shrapnel

Filming Locations:

Stone Mountain - Highway 78, Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,713, 14 July 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$27,713, 14 July 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

Millennium Films, Corsan, Millennium Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The project, formerly titled "Shrapnel", was being considered by John Travolta and Nicolas Cage as a reunion project after Face/Off (1997) and by director John McTiernan as a directing vehicle.

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Goofs

In last scene, as Ben exits and taxi and climbs the stairs to his son's front door, Ben is limping dramatically on his left leg - however, all of his injuries were sustained to his right leg.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Emil Kovac: For 18 years I have waited.
[stands to leave]
Serbian: So what now?
Emil Kovac: Hunting. I am going hunting.

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Connections

Featured in The Making of 'Killing Season' (2013)

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Soundtracks

Metalicker
Written by Barbie McDonald
Published by Engine Co 30
Music Publishing (BMI)
Courtesy of 5 Alarm Music

User Reviews

A movie that could have been very good

For starters, the movie gets absolutely everything wrong about events of the Bosnian war, but since such ignorance is expected from Hollywood, there is no reason to hold it against this particular title.

The premise of the movie is good, the basic story is decent, but the script could have been better written, the two main characters' stories never get satisfyingly developed. If this was directed by John McTiernan as originally planned, this would have been a great movie. Sadly, instead we got the guy who did Daredevil and he once again delivered a bland, uninspiring product. Acting is OK, Travolta did his best to hold a consistent accent (it was the wrong accent, but hey!) throughout the movie, while DeNiro looked more like he was only concerned with the paycheck.

All in all, the movie is not terrible, I guess it wouldn't kill you to watch it if you have nothing better to do for an hour and a half. The sad part is that this could have been a much, much better movie, perhaps even a classic.