For It Is Man's Number: kirill sokolov

Showing posts with label kirill sokolov. Show all posts

Thursday, 7 May 2026

They Will Kill You (2026)

As anyone who has been keeping track of my movie viewings will know, this is the reason I recently revisited Why Don't You Just Die! I had enjoyed the trailer for this movie, and wanted to see how director Kirill Sokolov would do with macabre fare that seemed to be aimed at a more mainstream audience (aka his English-language debut). The verdict? He doesn't do a bad job. I wouldn't call They Will Kill You great, but it certainly has one or two moments of greatness in it.

It's a familiar tale, at least on the surface. A group of rich and powerful people need to kill someone in order to retain their status. They're all inhabitants of one large building, and Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) is the new housekeeper who ends up being their new target. Asia has a hidden agenda though, and she's also very good at staying alive while dealing savagely with anyone silly enough to attack her.

Co-written by Sokolov and Alex Litvak, this may have underperformed at the box office, perhaps due to how close it was released to what seemed a very similar film (Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come), but I hope people will give it their time at home. There are a couple of twists and turns that make it much more fun than expected, and the violence on display is often as entertaining and inventive as it is savage and bloody.

Beetz is a very good lead, easy to root for and easy to believe as someone capable and deadly. It helps that the ensemble cast also includes Patricia Arquette (dubious accent choice and all), Paterson Joseph, Heather Graham, Tom Felton, Angus Sampson, and the voice of James Remar. There are many others too, including Myha'la, playing a character who provides the main motivation for the leading lady. Not everyone is at the same standard when it comes to the performances being delivered, but those who add to the fun far outweigh the few who don't.

I admit to not being won over by this from the very beginning. It seemed like it was a half-baked idea that would barely hold my interest for half an hour, let alone a full 94 minutes. The first couple of twists and turns were executed well enough to perk me up though, and then I was delighted by some superb gore gags and wonderfully-choreographed fight scenes until the curtain was pulled back for a final act that keeps delivering more of the same, but also adds even more insanity to the mix.

Sokolov proves himself as someone to absolutely keep an eye on. He has a great sense of the cinematic, is able to create stylish mayhem on a relatively low budget, and accompanies his visuals with some appropriately driving soundtrack choices. I may have been keen to see this, but I'm just as keen to see whatever he ends up doing next. And I wouldn't be disappointed if it was some contrived sequel to this. Maybe titled They Will Still Kill You.

7/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews

Friday, 1 May 2026

Why Don't You Just Die! (2018)

Look, sometimes you have to remember that when people give their opinion on a movie it is more than just their opinion on a movie. It can include their opinion on a whole manner of different topics. It can also include their frame of mind, as well as any baggage attached to the movie (a fond memory, a bad memory, the circumstances of the viewing experience). This is my way of saying that I have already watched Why Don't You Just Die! I never reviewed it though, and I didn't watch it with a clear head. I watched it almost six years ago, on a night that I really wish hadn't happened. It was the last night I ever drank alcohol, and I only wish I'd opted for the sober life at least one day sooner. Anyway, that made me quite wary of revisiting this. Would I be able to view and review it without it being tainted by that horrible memory? Thankfully, six years seems to be a big enough time gap. Just.

With that said, let's get to the film. The feature debut from writer-director Kirill Sokolov, this is a tale that starts with a young man (Matvey, played by Aleksandr Kuznetsov) visiting the father of his girlfriend. The father (Andrey, played by Vitaliy Khaev) is a police officer with more than a few secrets he wants to stay hidden, but is one of those secrets the abuse of his daughter? (Olya, played by Evgeniya Kregzhde) It's not long until things turn violent, people start to unpick some lies, and at least one main character, as per the suggestion of the title, proves a lot harder to kill than expected.

As unafraid of some bloodshed and violence as he is of some lively camerawork, Sokolov takes the dark (and darkly comedic) premise and wrings every ounce of entertainment from it. Although the main action takes place in one location, a few flashbacks take viewers elsewhere, stopping the film from feeling too restricted or claustrophobic. This isn't someone looking to make you feel trapped and anxious. It's someone looking to throw characters together in a violent clash that keeps delivering pain around a twisting and unstable narrative.

Kunzetsov is a very good main character to stay alongside, despite first seeing him with a hammer held behind his back as he enters the home of someone he intends to seriously harm or kill. It helps that Sokolov doesn't leave it too long to show how he has been manipulated, allowing viewers to feel sympathy for someone who may be well out of his depth. Khaev is suitably gruff and grim, entertainingly unpleasant, but not necessarily the monster he's made out to be. Or maybe he is. Either way, he's a formidable foe, and a memorable movie character. Kregzhde is given enough screentime to show how she put the pieces of this showdown into place, Elene Shevchenko is her bewildered mother, and Mikhail Gorevoy does quite well when he comes along at a vital juncture to add more stakes and backstory to the unfolding drama.

Enjoyably over the top, in both the plotting and the bodily harm, Why Don't You Just Die! is blood-soaked fun that should appeal to anyone with a penchant for neo-noir handled with a light touch. Sokolov has marked himself out as someone to keep an eye on, and my belated rewatch of this was inevitable before I finally made time to check out his third feature, and first English-language film, They Will Kill You. I only hope I enjoy that one as much as I enjoyed this.

7/10