And you thought the WWE-produced films got trashed! Gail Kim‘s new movie Royal Kill has been released in limited locations around the United States, and while reviews are few and far between (we could only find one), it doesn’t paint a pretty picture. Take the Washington Post’s word for it:
“Royal Kill” is not a train wreck. There’s no grotesque thrill to its utter failure. It is, instead, some kind of cosmic hiccup. It should not exist. Yet here it is, playing in a real multiplex on a real screen with real actors, as if beamed in from some alternate bizarro dimension where down is up and wrong is right and 2 + 2 = 5.
Ouch. Well, maybe at least the fight scenes are decent?
After the warrior gets to D.C., the rest of the movie is poorly choreographed gunfights and swordfights. The special effects look like they were created in Microsoft Paint. The movie is larded with artless dream and flashback sequences and purposeless flourishes (heartbeats, echoing voices, shoddily rendered slow-mo bullets). To top it off, the “twist” ending (pilfered from “Fight Club”) is so ridiculous it will make your head explode.
Damn. Anyone who knows my film taste knows I love me some Fight Club (it’s my favorite movie), so hearing Royal Kill blatantly ripped it off kind of gets under my skin. But hell, I can’t blame them – it was an awesome movie. ;)
I can’t say I was ever itching to check out Gail’s movie – kung fu movies aren’t really my bag – but this scathing review practically makes any interest evaporate. There is a certain perverse pleasure in seeing a so-bad-it’s-good movie, but it sounds like the movie doesn’t even reach that level. Though I must say, it’s dangerous to take the word of one critic – it would be best to wait until there’s more reviews to make a concrete decision. If you’re still interested in seeing it, head on over to the movie’s official site to watch the trailer and see if a city near you will be screening Royal Kill. Just try to keep your head from exploding. And if you happen to catch a screening, please let us know what you think!
• Read the full Washington Post review
• Royal Kill on IMDB
• Royal Kill on Rotten Tomatoes
