Killers DVD Review And Giveaway

I have a great fondness for movies that let me know right where I am just by naming their director. Robert Luketic may have been hard to nail down when he hit the scene with Legally Blonde, but after Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, and Monster-in-Law we knew where we were. Then came last year’s The Ugly Truth, and though it was met with critical disdain, I came to believe I was getting a sense for the real Luketic. Sprinkling in 21, I think I’ve got a good feel for every film he’ll ever do, and I probably mean something different than you might think.

Killers, Luketic’s recent effort that keeps Katherine Heigl, but adds in Ashton Kutcher, is a film destined to be called stupid in ways too numerous to mention, and I predict many of them will be fabulously inventive. The truth is, the film really is incredibly stupid, but there’s stupid and then there’s stupid, and once the film isn’t being remotely serious, you shouldn’t be either.

Rather than give away plot points which render the film immune to intellectual attack, I’ll simply point out a film that Luketic is conveniently remaking, Romancing the Stone. I won’t claim that Killers comes close to living up to that film, but they are vaguely in the same genre. Killers doesn’t have the chemistry, and the writing isn’t as funny, but they are equally stupid.

As I said, there’s stupid and then there’s stupid. Notice Luketic didn’t hang around for Legally Blonde 2.

In case we weren’t certain, Killers‘ opening credits let us know where we’re going, because while they hint at James Bond, there’s a certain Pink Panther quality to them as well. Witness the poster.

We meet Spencer (Kutcher) as he zips along a winding road in a Ferrari, apparently on the lookout for a helicopter. The scene is so overloaded with early Bond look and feel that we expect him to drive into the sea and launch those mini-SAMS from his car-sub transformer. We flash over to recently dumped “Just Jen” (Heigl) and her overbearing parents (Catherine O’Hara and Tom Selleck) as they embarrassingly fight with a hotel clerk about their rooms. Heigl’s Maalox-crunching, shy, socially awkward damsel should clue us in to the borderline cartoon adventure that awaits.

If you weren’t convinced by the “awesomely hot woman with great body obviously grows up to be shy, inept, with piles of self-doubt” setup, the film barely introduces the characters before flashing forward three years. Spencer quit his life as a spy (or whatever) to marry Jen, and she is naturally oblivious to his past. We get a cursory introduction in the beginning, before moving on to a cursory introduction to their new life as a settled couple, because none of it makes a damn bit of difference.

Unfortunately, Spencer’s old boss contacts him again, and then the happy home life starts blowing up around them. Spencer has some splainin to do, and he’d better do it quick if he wants to stay alive.

Things become progressively more ludicrous as we go on, and there is a certain “sign on for a quick check and a vacation” theory that is hard to get out of your mind, but a film that can’t avoid the term “spy-jinx” (and certainly doesn’t want to) isn’t playing at your serious side.

The problem with Killers is that so many films get thrown at you that have no merit to their stupidity that not many people are around who will bother to attempt discerning the difference. Much about this film marks it as a sort of throwback to days long gone when a decent bit of ridiculousness could be appreciated, and a film critic’s stock in trade was not haughtily outsmarting films that aren’t trying to smart. By the time we near the end the thing is practically slapstick, and describing it as stupid is really the same as not saying anything.

While lacking the kind of charm that might have garnered an actual recommendation, as opposed to simply a willingness to champion it against the hopelessly stuffy, Killers is rather fun, and you won’t be disappointed if you can play along.

Rating:  

DVD Features -

This one isn't a packed release, but after watching the film again, I didn't really mind. A commentary might have been fun, especially if we had the stars on board, but this isn't the sort of effort that is going to actually give us miles of value out of throwing out bonuses just to say we did. We get a gag reel, which is surprisingly short, and a good number of deleted/extended/alternate scenes, all of which are nice enough additions. Frankly, I'd really like to know why we got rid of the coffeemaker scenes, because I think those would have worked if we played with them a bit more.

There is also the featurette Killer Chemistry: Behind the Scenes with the Killers' Cast, and it's above-average fare. It's largely interview footage, and it is refreshingly light on delivering soundbites talking up the film. Instead, you get a lot of angles talking up Tom Selleck, and I have to admit it was interesting to see Kutcher and Heigl respond to working with him. It was also nice to hear the appreciation for his abilities at delivering a lot of content with just a well-placed facial expression.

Overall this is a solid release, and one that I think gives an appreciable "less is more" effort on the bonuses. Perhaps not the best film in ages, but one that offers up some valuable entertainment if you give it half a chance.

Available on Blu-Ray, DVD, Digital Download, and On Demand September 7th!

Win it here!

Leave a comment below, and let me know what you think of this action-comedy genre, and how well Kutcher and Heigl fit into it, and you are automatically entered to win a copy of the standard DVD release. Is this kind of film your cup of tea? Are Kutcher and/or Heigl the right people for such roles? Let me know (even if it's only theoretically) your thoughts on the general effort.

U.S. only. Winner will be randomly selected on September 21st.

And, before you go, check out some clips below - use the playlist feature to move between videos.

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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