Matar o morir

The best way to approach this movie is to ask yourself the following questions: "Do I like independent, lower budget movies?" "Do I like movies that have no major A-list stars?" "Do I like violent spaghetti Western movies?" "Do I like movies that try something NEW?" If you answered yes to most of these questions, then you will likely enjoy this film as much as I did. If you want a sterile, familiar, typical plot line like in FORSAKEN or DIABLO, then this is most likely NOT the movie for you. That's what great independent movies do. They offer an alternative to the spoon fed Hollywood crap. This is not McDonald's, it's a mom/pop restaurant that you have to look up on Yelp to even find. KILL OR BE KILLED has a nasty, bloody side that it is NOT scared to show you. The main characters are bad people, and it gets darker and darker as it goes further into the story. I was throughly entertained by all the elements and will recommend this one to anyone who answers "yes" the the above questions. Have fun. CT

What we have here is a good old-fashioned Western riddled with the ringing bells of mystery. It seems a simple tale starting with a prison break heading towards a mound of ill-gotten gold. What it ends up being is a mysterious semi-horror bodyfest with Indie gold written all over it.

I'm not a fan of Westerns, with only a few exceptions. I watched this on the recommendation from a friend, and glad I did so. After the first 10 minutes I was worried I would grow bored with the movie and eventually turn it off. However, as I continued to watch I got sucked in deeper and deeper until there was no turning back.

This movie entertains throughout with rare a dull moment. The ending is quite a surprise that I'm betting not many of you will see coming. While it's not a perfect film, it is a great watch that any fan of the genre will appreciate. Good use of budget, good scenery, decent acting (for the most part) and a great story make "Kill or Be Killed" a movie worth watching, even for folks who may not be huge fans of Westerns.

Greetings again from the darkness - from the Dallas International Film Festival 2015. Co-writers and co-directors Duane Graves (from San Antonio) and Justin Meeks manage to hit all extremes with comedy, violence and drama as they trek across some of the roughest Texas terrain. Tongue-in-cheek westerns are rare, and this one never falls into true parody, but instead uses hyper-dramatic music and dialogue delivery to balance the gun play and hardened outlaw activities.

Mr. Meeks also stars as Claude "Sweet Tooth" Barbee, who is leading his band of outlaws across Texas in an attempt to re-claim the gold from a previously botched train robbery. The character name is from a real life outlaw and the actions are loosely based on real life train robber Sam Bass. Meeks is clearly having a ball playing the type of colorful bad guy that actors dream about.

Screen veteran Pepe Serna has a brief but memorable role, and one that is crucial to story development. He too, seems to relish the chance to play a nasty guy. The rest of the cast, many of whom were present at the screening, all seem to have bought into the vision … whether their character is quickly filled with lead or manages to eke out a line or two or three. Every movie lover will quickly recognize the actor playing the Doc as Michael Berryman from The Hills Have Eyes (1972).

The ringing of a bell, a young ventriloquist, twins, prairie land nightmares, a hooker with an ulterior motive, and family revenge all play a role as this group of outlaws is hunted by more than just the Sheriff as they make their way to the coast. With unusual lines of dialogue such as "Shut that puppet up", and a misleading sign that reads "Lodgers Welcome", Graves and Meeks deliver an unusual look at the old west and those that inhabited this rugged land.

A mediocre western with some gore and a 'mystery' that is never explained. The acting was fine, the pacing was good but the editing was choppy. In no way would I classify this movie as a horror other than it had a horrible ending, it was okay up until the last 20-minutes, don't waste your time.

The main problem for me is that I confounded nearly all the characters, all the actors, because I know any of them. The directing and acting are not awful but really bland, flat, only the story proposes something unusual, where there is no real heroes, no villains, no separation between both. That's pretty interesting. But this western looks very like all the other ones we can see since two decades now. I mean, forget the old fashioned classic Hollywood westerns, there is no connection at all with the fifties and even sixties American westerns, even Italian spaghettis westerns. This movie is not garbage junk though, not at all, that depends of what you seek, what you look for. I love this kid of unusual plot, despite all its weaknesses. I forgive everything.