FILM REVIEW: Some Guy Who Kills People (2011)

Ever go to the local Red Box looking for a specific movie...only to find that it is unavailable. Then, you open up your Red Box App...only to find that the movie that you are looking for is available at another Red Box across town. So...since you're too lazy to drive across town...you settle on another film that you heard a couple things about, only to have your mind blown by the film that you settled upon.

Ladies and Deviants...allow me to introduce you to Some Guy Who Kills People. A quirky little independent film that manages to get it mostly right.

In a just world, Jack Perez would be primarily known for directing this film. Unfortunately, he's the guy responsible for titles like Wild Things 2  and Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. Two films that don't really present a good argument to the casual film fan that Perez is a talented filmmaker. However, a talented filmmaker Perez can be. And he does prove it here with Some Guy Who Kills People.

The story is about Ken Boyd, an unfortunate man in his mid-thirties who has apparently just been released from a mental institution and now works at an ice cream shop. He's been haunted by his violent past most of his life and vents his nightmares through his many sadistic illustrations. You see, back in high school Ken was part of a basketball team and he drew a comic book making fun of all his douchebag teammates. Well, his douchebag teammates weren't too keen on being the punchline in Boyd's comic book...so, they decided to inflict all kinds of mean and twisted shit on poor Ken. Fast forward to present day and all of Ken's douchebag teammates are turning up dead. And trust me when I tell you that this is merely skimming the surface of the film.

Some Guy Who Kills People is chockful of great performances. Kevin Corrigan is a guy whom you will surely recognize. Although, I can't specifically remember where I know him from. However, he shines as Ken Boyd as he gives the awkward character a certain humanity that is often rare in these kinds of roles. Think Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates...except with more of a sutble comedic self awareness that creates a layer of disparate edge.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show's Barry Bostwick turns up as an absolutely hilarious sheriff named Walt Fuller and he absolutely owns every scene he's in. The murder investigation scenes in particular really stand out and really make a good case for this character spinning off into a TV series of his own. I could seriously watch Bostwick's Fuller every week as he tries to solve a new case (hopefully, there's a TV exec reading this!).

Genre favorite Karen Black fights to steal the show in the film as Boyd's mother, Ruth. She's an amazing actress and really shines in the tiny role given. She also plays the love interest for Sheriff Fuller which adds another layer of tension to the murder mystery here.

Ariel Gade and Leo Fitzpatrick (whom you'll remember as Telly from Kids) also stand out in their crucial roles. It was also nice to see Shaun of the Dead's Lucy Davis show up as the love interest in the film. Overall...really super duper casting choices (hah...I used the term "super duper").

I won't say anything more about the film because it actually throws you a couple curve balls as the story progresses. I will say that the film sort of stumbles in the storytelling department, though. Some Guy Who Kills People ultimately feels confined in its own script. Not confined like it only cost $300,000 to make...but, more like it never takes its time to unfold. It feels like the cinematic equivalent of that kid at school who is so eager to tell you that exciting thing that he just witnessed and manages to skip over all the subtleties and ambiance to just flat out tell you the entire story at rapid-fire pace, glossing over some improbabilities and crucial details in the process.

However, these are faults that could easily have been cured with a more fleshed out script and some editing for the sake of pacing. Everything else in the film manages to excel with a dark wit and an eye for cinematic beauty. Some scenes feel as if they were taken out of a more expensive film. Even the gore is pretty great, in a tongue-in-cheek self awareness kind of way.

Some Guy Who Kills People could have been as straight-forward as the title suggests. Instead, it's much more involved and will entertain on a grander scale than one would expect. It was a nice surprise for me, as I was looking for something else completely and went into the film blind. Look for it specifically the next time you want laughs, tenderness and surprise in your slasher film.

Thanks for reading,

bryan.