The Killer

It is nice that they spend so much on original content but they really need to up the budget for the people that greenlight these things. This movie is borderline Conan the Gunslinger, and has annoying narration throughout. The plot is OK, the production quality is fairly decent, even though the CGI gunshots are obvious. The dialogue, however, is very weak, and the acting not much better. I am have no idea why some other reviewers are saying what a cruel, violent, yet excellent and amazing movie it is. It is not like that - think of it and above average SyFy movie with a better than average budget.

The Killer: A Savage Brazilian Western which qualifies as great or rather epic because of the way it spans generations in the Brazil of the 1910s to the 1940s. An assassin finds a baby abandoned in the desert and raises him as his son. When this killer disappears his "son" takes his place as the chief assassin for a rich landowner who kills everyone who gets in his way. A story of revenge and betrayal which unfolds across the decades. There are killers to deal with the killers and bandidos to carry out the more unsavory massacres. Even poets are shot! In some ways reminiscent of Leon, showing how simple people can be turned into savage killers. Writer/Director Marcelo Galvão delivers a thrilling tale about the 20th Century Wild West of Brazil. 8/10 On Netflix.

There is a lot of violence in this and not just the one dished out with revolvers/guns, but also with ones body ... to someone elses body. I have to admit, to a point I personally wasn't sure if it wasn't a bit too much. Actually I know it goes too far in more than one occasion.

So in case you are not sure if you can stomache this ... maybe this isn't for you. Everyone else will see an interesting (brazilian) take on the Western genre. One that has more bad guys than you can count - which I reckon makes sense. Still you might have issues to root for many people here, if any. The movie is well done though, looks good and is interesting to say the least.

While it could be called predominantly 'Leone-like', this brutal western has influences from all regions but still firmly sets a Brazilian tone for a new sub-genre. I say 'new' based on my not seeing an S.A. example before this. There are a few editing/story problems that may indicate a director's cut in the future, but they don't take away from the flow of the story. If you like exploring modern westerns, it's worth a look.