By Jackson Weaver
Staff Writer
The neo-noir crime comedy “Kill Me Three Times” attempts to seem unique and clever compared to generic action thrillers, however its outcome fails to engage in the slightest.
“Kill Me Three Times”, directed by Kriv Stender, fails with overwhelming character flaws and a poorly executed plot, exemplifying how his directing has become progressively worse over the past years since his most successful hit “Red Dog”.
The film takes place on the beautiful beaches of Australia beginning when hit-man Charlie Wolfe (Simon Pegg) accepts a high- paying contract instructing him to murder the surf town’s local beauty Alice Taylor (Alice Braga). He quickly discovers that he is not the only one who wants the celebrity figure dead and now has to outrun her other assassins in an attempt to fulfill his mission.
It is uncommon to see Pegg play the role of the villain, and his performance supports the notion that he was not cast well as the actor to play a professional hit-man which is odd because he is well known as a strong actor. Pegg’s role in this film is to complete his target and eliminate everyone in his way, but Pegg acts too happy playing the serious role of a hit-man and almost gets out of character often by chuckling after murder.
Stender’s hints of comedy in the film are abnormal and not amusing. Wolfe repeatedly tries to come up with jokes after each enemy he kills, but these jokes are both unnecessary and do not pertain to the plot adding confusion to the story.
Supporting actor Nathan Webb and actress Lucy Webb show little emotion in their respective roles and their lack of on screen chemistry is equally concerning considering they are married in real life. The revolves around Stapleton (Nathan Webb) and Teresa Palmer (Lucy Webb) in the beginning , but then do not return until the film’s closure making them almost unrecognizable yet again creating a puzzling atmosphere.
The plot is very repetitive as Wolfe seems to kill everyone he meets as he searches for his targets. After his initial target Alice Braga is murdered, his new job is to track down her murderer. In his investigation, it seems that minor characters are introduced throughout but then are quickly killed off making it seem like each scene is separate from one another limiting the flow of the storyline.
Additionally, “Kill Me Three Times” contains predictable scenes mostly including Wolfe’s triumphant victories frequently. The result of the repetitive plot makes the action’s climax tedious. Unlike many prominent action films, “Kill Me Three Times” does not provide an unanticipated twist or a heart- pounding conclusion which is dissatisfying.
Stender tries to pull off a Quentin Tarantino type film with a blend of comedy and action, but even with a group of talented actors, sharp visuals, and spectacular locations, he is incapable of pulling off the thrilling action film he pictured.
“Kill Me Three Times” is rated R and is playing in theaters nationwide.
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