Killing Time (1998)

Reilly (Leach) is an effeminate and super-evil gangster who continually manages to evade the law, so cop Bryant (Fairbrass) hires a hitwoman to kill him in an "off the books" kind of way. The hitwoman in question is Maria (Torgan), and she comes from Italy to England to complete her job. Apparently a lot of British thugs are after Maria as well, and she must use her wiles to dispatch them - but is Bryant behind any double crosses? There are many types of slogs in Direct-to-Video cinema. There's the submarine slog, the airplane slog, the jungle slog, and the spaceship slog, just to name a few. But in the later 90's, a new type of slog emerged: the Tarantino slog. These are Tarantino knockoffs that would not exist if not for that director. They're characterized by a lot of violence, mainly shooting, and plenty of unnecessarily talky dialogue. Well, Killing Time fits the description to a T. Why ANY filmmaker could think they could replace the all-important character development with a lot of blah-blah-blah jawing from the characters is unknown. This way, when any action does occur, you don't really care. In this movie, you don't care about the plight of any of the characters.Another reason for that is that Killing Time is also a classic case of "style over substance". There's almost no substance here, but there is some stylish camera moves, lighting and VHS box art. It just goes to show the old saying about not judging a book by its cover remains true. This movie is just trying so hard to be cool. But because it was the 90's, it's trying to be cool in that super-90's way, and it hasn't aged well. It uses that Portishead song multiple times and has characters either talking about nothing or doing nothing. Thus the pacing is seriously off. This movie has held up about as well as a commercial for "Buzz Cuts", "Buzz Jams", "The Edge" or one of those CD compilations of "edgy" 90's music that you just can't buy in stores, so call now.And the sad part is, we normally love British movies, especially thrillers like this one. But this movie is the aforementioned Tarantino slog, mixed with a knockoff of La Femme Nikita (1990), so, besides the exteriors and a character wearing a Newcastle shirt, this really doesn't feel all that British. Craig Fairbrass does what he can here, but it's tough. He deserves better. In this movie he looks like a cross between Patrick Swayze, Richard Norton and Mel Gibson.Presumably this movie was for Tarantino fanatics, or younger teens "slamming" their cans of Mountain Dew and saying "radical, totally awesome 90's, man". So sadly we cannot recommend Killing Time.For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com

As a cynical take on British gangster movies, this film is highly successful.(***Slight Spoilers!***)Is it unrealistic? Absolutely. One striking thing about this film is that there are absolutely no bystanders to be seen anywhere. Every single person you see on screen, even in the metropolitan areas, is either a part of the action or a victim of the violence. This movie is entirely "extraless". Deserted subway stations, empty streets, and guestless hotel lobbies are the rule. Hotel guests don't complain about gunfire in the hotel, but they do complain about noisy plumbing when a couple cell phones are flushed down the toilet. And the idea of a hit-woman (who would want to be low-profile and unmemorable) who is strikingly beautiful, dressed like a "Matrix" reject, and who speaks absolutely no English even though she has to carry out a hit in England, does not require further comment.Does it have any significant backstory or character development? No...absolutely not. You take the characters as you get them. They are cartoons.Does it demonstrate any moral judgment? Don't worry...nothing challenging in this department either.So why is it worth seeing?Well, it is a fairly pure movie in that it has few pretensions other than to mock certain film conventions. There are some deft touches, including several at the end of the movie. The final shot, with the hit-woman "disappearing" over an extended period, is rather memorable, even if pure film-school.In summary, I have wasted time on supposedly better crime movies (like "The Road to Perdition")and actually enjoyed this film. If you have a chance to see this relatively short and unpretentious movie, I think that you should.

Anyone who thinks this movie sucks obviously doesn't get it's deeply cynical and highly entertaining take on the British Gangster film (not to mention american and other european) This is a satirical commentary on Greed, Guns and Sex. Full of ultra-violent gun play our heroin is neither sympathetic nor anti-heroic she merely is. An enigmatic dominant female who isn't going to allow bumbling roughs and sinister masterminds get the better of her. Like Leon (The Professional) she is motivated by payment the intrigues and politics between the waring factions are not her concern. However, she knows how to handle herself. Of course she needs to win out in the end over the dirty deeds of the hired thugs, the dirty cops and the twisted king-pin. In a film filled with nothing but bad-guys shouldn't the woman with the gun and the lack of concern be the winner? I came, I saw, I kicked it's ass then I got paid and went home.

I really feel this could have been a much better movie if the plot and acting were better done. Kendra Torgan is gorgeous as the ice-cool Italian hit woman who ruthlessly eliminates her victims as nonchalantly as she peels her apples. Although mildly fun to watch, the movie is sadly idiotic. The kill rate is horrendous and at times the movie seems to drag. Everyone around Kendra seems to be bungling, the conversation is inane and the choreography of the shooting scenes were choppy. It's bloody violent though, if that is any redeeming feature.