The Killer's Game

Truth be told, I have to admit that I didn't exactly harbor the biggest of expectations to the 2024 movie "The Killer's Game", as I sat down to watch it here in 2025. Why? Well, I can't claim to find Dave Bautista a particularly skilled actor. But I still opted to watch the movie on account of it being a movie that I hadn't already seen. Maybe director J. J. Perry would pull something out here to surprise me.

The storyline in the movie was fairly okay. I mean, it was a rather straightforward narrative, which was rather simplistic. So it wasn't a movie that requires a lot of audience involvement. But it proved adequately entertaining nonetheless.

There are some familiar faces on the cast list, with the likes of Dave Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Ben Kingsley, Daniel Bernhardt, Terry Crews, Pom Klementieff and Scott Adkins. The acting performances in the movie were good, though it is of course not Award-winning thespian performances, but then again would you expect that from an action movie such as this?

The movie does have a fair share of action sequences in it, which definitely helped add to the overall impression of the movie.

And the effects in the movie were good, which also help add to the movie.

My rating of director J. J. Perry's 2024 movie "The Killer's Game" lands on a six out of ten stars.

I do have to get it out of the way now, yes this movie is very much inspired by the John Wick films. However, this film is definitely more fun and comedic. I was genuinely surprised by the chemistry between characters, it felt believable. The action was over the top, the film definitely feels almost like a comic. Its very fun and genuinely creative with it's action. I'm already seeing low reviews, but I feel like people are taking the film too serIously. This film knows exactly what it is, it isn't pretentious.

Also it's the perfect run time, bring back movies that aren't needlessly 3 hours. Thank you.

It's not a great movie in the sense of story and ground breaking.

What it is it's an awesome action movie that makes up for story by giving the audience what they want... unadulterated violence that is both creative and fun. The movie is surprisingly funny where it makes up for the story itself.

The cast is just amazing. With each character, no matter small, is interesting. If the movie has more success, it would be absolutely amazing to see each character get their own movies.

Again, it's not going to garner Oscars or serious discussion but if you want to be entertained this movie will check all the boxes.

This is a fun little movie, isn't very original nor very memorable but fun while it is on. To be clear, this had to be filmed as a movie not intended to go to theaters but it was better than expected. Dave Bautista, while looking odd, does a great job as he finally gets an action movie where he is the lead man

The plot is simple, introducing zany comic book type assisins and then killing them off in incresingly comically violent ways. Ben Kingsley and a Catholic priest are the comic relief and surprisingly that works really well, some good laughs. Scott Adkins and Terry Crews have smaller roles but always bring something fun to their performances.

I also appreciated the excessing grenade use in this film. I feel in real life hitmen would use grenades instead of exposing themselves for a gunfight. It is a movie of course, but eveyrone uses grenades first, and I approve of that.

You don't have to go to a theater to see it, but definately watch it when it comes to home video or streaming as it is a fun watch. There was scattered applause when the credits rolled and others seemed to generally like it.

The Killer's Game delivers straightforward action with enough entertainment to keep you watching, though it's nothing revolutionary. The fight scenes are decent, but not on par with the gold standard that is John Wick. The cast of quirky assassins that span the world add some fun, almost like they're from Street Fighter just with less depth. Dave Bautista does his usual tough-guy routine, and while he's good, it's familiar territory for him.

The concept-an assassin accidentally putting a hit on himself due to a medical mistake-is unique, but the execution is predictable. There are laughs and a few solid action moments, but nothing that really stands out.

Overall, it's a fun and gory film that's enjoyable if you're looking for an easy, action-filled watch. Just don't expect it to leave a lasting impression.