3392. Kill Me Three Times (2014)

Starring: Simon Pegg, Sullivan Stapleton, Alice Braga

Director: Kriv Stenders

Running Time: 90 mins

Kill Me Three Times is an Australian film about a hitman who becomes embroiled in a series of plots of deceit after a botched assassination.

There are parts of this movie that really hit the mark, and other parts that really didn’t. A dark comedy that excels when it comes to twisted humour and violence, but struggles to captivate on a deeper level, Kill Me Three Times is an enjoyable albeit mixed affair throughout.

Let’s start with the positives, the biggest of which comes in the form of the movie’s sense of humour. While Kill Me Three Times is by no means laugh-out-loud hilarious, the movie does have a sly brand of comedy which works really well in tandem with its violence.

The film is never overly gory or heavy on the action and violence front, but nor is it too soft. Using a twisted tale of deceit and greed to great effect, the film proves a devilishly funny watch, as a group of equally evil characters all fall over one another.

Bolstered by strong performances right across the board, including from A-lister Simon Pegg, Kill Me Three Times has the charisma and energy to sell what can often be a bit of a slow-burner narrative-wise.

The story is really good, though, and the Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels style of intricate and overlapping storylines works nicely throughout.

What doesn’t work so nicely, however, is the characterisation, which really lets down an otherwise well-written and captivating dark comedy thriller. The movie may feature an ensemble cast whose varying obsessions see them all clash in violent fashion, but there’s not much more to them than that.

There are times when the film slows down for the purpose of letting you learn about the characters and their motivations a bit more, but the dialogue in those less twisted and what should be more earnest moments really doesn’t deliver, proving a point of frustration throughout.

As a result, Kill Me Three Times never quite fulfils its potential – delivering captivating and dark thrills, but only on a surface level. That said, while it may not be wholly enthralling, the film is still a darkly enjoyable watch, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.3 overall.