Kill Shot Blu-ray Review

 

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• Director ‏ : ‎ Ari Novak
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Rachel Cook, Rib Hillis, Bobby Maximus, Mara Ohara, Mark Murphy
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (DTS 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 33 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ August 15, 2023
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         There are many bad movies made every year, without fail, which is why it is so difficult for them to stand out. While it takes effort to be good, poorly made films are often even more impressive, because movies as bad as Kill Shot can’t be planned. Filmmakers intending to make a bad movie come off as insincere, but it takes a series of unfortunate events for something to become this terrible organically. It’s quite remarkable to see a movie this bad, which makes it stand out amidst all the unimpressive mediocrity making up most of the entertainment being watched.

 

        Following a pointless prologue sequence of action that is horrendously choreographed, the cast of actors and their characters are introduced in opening credits that make sure to show model Rachel Cook topless with a gun, even though her character never appears shirtless or as a major focus of the action. She does inexplicably take off her pants several times in the narrative, which is probably when Cook felt most confident about her acting abilities since her modeling career has also primarily been focused on showing off her… let’s call it assets.

 

        Clearly inexperienced as an actor, Cook plays a young woman named Kate who hires former Navy Seal Jackson Hardison (Rib Hillis) to take her hunting. There is more to her backstory, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense and adds nothing to the plot. Similarly, Jackson is grieving the death of his child, which gives the opportunity for the film to shoehorn in a painfully melodramatic flashback sequence. While these two are hunting in the wilderness of Montana they discover a dead parachuter and a case filled with money. Predictably, this leads to a team of baddies hunting them, turning the predators into prey.

 

        There is nothing wrong with a formulaic and predictable narrative if it is done right, as that is what genre films are primarily built upon. Kill Shot is not done well. But it is so comically bad that this film could be the ideal choice for viewing with the right audience. I would never recommend this to my film students, but I can imagine it would be amusing to watch with a group of friends and a large supply of alcohol. It will help to laugh at the ridiculous erotically charged sequences within life-threatening situations. Or there is the gem of a scene where the protagonists escape down rapids, only to cut to a scene at the end with Cook’s hair nearly completely dry, clearly because the model’s appearance was more important to any semblance of realism. Kill Shot is full of bad filmmaking choices like this, all the way to the twist ending which makes little sense.

 

        The Blu-ray release for Kill Shot has no special features, as I’m sure most are embarrassed to have been involved in this. On the other hand, it would have been fascinating to see what led to such a terrible film. Or to hear the cast and crew do their best to promote what is clearly not worth promoting. At least with the high definition of the Blu-ray audiences will be able to see each out-of-focus shot as pristinely as possible.

 

Entertainment Value: 3/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 1/10

Historical Significance 0/10

Special Features: 0/10