Do you remember as a kid having to save your allowance to get your favorite toy? The toy had extra meaning as you had earned it, and your dad looked on proudly as you paid the cashier. The opposite can be said when you spend your hard earned money on a toy, and it breaks five minutes after you get home, because it’s a piece of shit. That’s how I feel after watching Taran Killam’s ‘Killing Gunther.’
Killam gave himself a handy and then left you with the bill. The whole reason I wanted to watch this film was for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comedy, and Killam just kicks me in the nuts for the first hour. The film is only 92 minutes long, but you don’t see Schwarzenegger until 68 minutes into the film. You lied to me, Taran!
‘Killing Gunther’ is a mockumentary about a group of hitmen and woman attempting to kill the best hitman in the business.
Killam wrote, directed, and produced the film, and you can tell this is his first time directing. It felt as if he just let the camera roll for multiple takes and then spliced together randomly. Killam filmmaking skills are amateur at best, and insulting at their worst. The concept has potential, and with another director might have worked.
Hey! Can we stop using CGI fire in films?
It doesn’t look real and it never will!
The film gets very meta for me at the end when Schwarzenegger’s character Gunther gives a speech to Killam’s Blake about having to earn his victories and that it takes time and hard work. ‘Killing Gunther’ feels rushed, and insults the craft of comedy.
Again, this film had potential. The cast is excellent and some laughs were had. Allison Tolman of ‘Fargo’ and Ryan Gaul are brilliant as the brother and sister assassins from Russia. Bobby Moynihan’s Donnie with his drunk karaoke is probably the closest we’ll get to his ‘Drunk Uncle’ character from SNL.
Overall, ‘Killing Gunther’ should have only been 30 minutes long. The final act of the film is decent with Schwarzenegger’s comedy as his presence buried the rest of the cast. Even Cobie Smulders looks depressed during the film.
You can see how Killam sold this film studios, but the execution is so off. ‘Killing Gunther’ was a skit that should have never been a film.
P.S. This concept was done before, and done extremely well. It was called ‘What We Do in the Shadows.’
This trailer lies to you!
