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The Killing Room

  • 2009
  • R
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
15K
YOUR RATING
Timothy Hutton, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Stormare, Nick Cannon, Clea DuVall, and Shea Whigham in The Killing Room (2009)
Trailer for this taught psychological thriller about a secret government program
Play trailer2:08
1 Video
13 Photos
Psychological ThrillerMysteryThriller

Four individuals sign up for a psychological research study only to discover that they are now subjects of a brutal, classified government program.Four individuals sign up for a psychological research study only to discover that they are now subjects of a brutal, classified government program.Four individuals sign up for a psychological research study only to discover that they are now subjects of a brutal, classified government program.

  • Director
    • Jonathan Liebesman
  • Writers
    • Gus Krieger
    • Ann Peacock
  • Stars
    • Nick Cannon
    • Clea DuVall
    • Timothy Hutton
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    15K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jonathan Liebesman
    • Writers
      • Gus Krieger
      • Ann Peacock
    • Stars
      • Nick Cannon
      • Clea DuVall
      • Timothy Hutton
    • 78User reviews
    • 40Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Killing Room
    Trailer 2:08
    The Killing Room

    Photos13

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    Top Cast16

    Edit
    Nick Cannon
    Nick Cannon
    • Paul Brodie
    Clea DuVall
    Clea DuVall
    • Kerry Isalano
    Timothy Hutton
    Timothy Hutton
    • Crawford Haines
    Chloë Sevigny
    Chloë Sevigny
    • Emily Reilly
    Peter Stormare
    Peter Stormare
    • Dr. Phillips
    Shea Whigham
    Shea Whigham
    • Tony Mazzolla
    Anoop Kaur Sikand
    • Nurse
    Bill Stinchcomb
    Bill Stinchcomb
    • Cope
    Meade Patton
    Meade Patton
    • Forsythe
    Luke Sexton
    Luke Sexton
    • Orderly #1
    Tim J. Smith
    Tim J. Smith
    • Orderly #2
    • (as T. Joel Smith)
    Michael Byrnes
    • Orderly #3
    Gus Krieger
    • Prisoner #1
    Eddie Armes
    • Prisoner #2
    • (uncredited)
    Gregory Gast
    Gregory Gast
    • Echo
    • (uncredited)
    Joan Roberts
    Joan Roberts
    • God
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jonathan Liebesman
    • Writers
      • Gus Krieger
      • Ann Peacock
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews78

    5.615.3K
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    Featured reviews

    4GloriousGooner

    Runs out of ideas

    Another film, based in one room, in which 4 people are eliminated to one, told from the perspective of a behavioural psychologist observing the experiment. The experimentees are promised $250 each for completing the 1 day 8 hour test but have no idea what the experiment is or who is behind it. The film starts out with a lot of promise - after the irony behind the traps in the Saw franchise the ingenuity bar has been set reasonably high already. Factor in the cult success of Cube and this film is branching into a cornered market. But then again that really is the problem: apart from 1 of 2 cheap jumps there is barely any glint of originality in either the script, performances or concept. The director has done OK with limited material yet even overlooking the often mumbled dialogue (really, why they whisper so much is utterly baffling) and the frequently massive jumps to conclusions that seem to be spontaneously materialising out of thin air, there is still nothing here to shout about. As other reviews point out, the walkie talkie commentary gets annoying quickly but thats not the biggest of the many flaws. Without the gore of Saw we need good three dimensional relatable characters whereas The Killing Room presents us with cardboard victims on the assumption that for some unknown reason we will guess who's going to survive and indeed, care. It's painfully obvious from the start who's going to win, what interested me was how the doctor would react to the unfolding events. Well, that plot line goes nowhere interesting - so that was a wasted mental effort on my part. The only positive from this film is that it's all over very quickly. There's a totally predictable twist ending and a wider social commentary element that falls flatter than Kansas.
    7Alex_NLD

    Is worth watching

    Although it isn't one of the top films I've yet seen I found this one worth watching. It is a sort of mind-game movie. It was only at the last few minutes that you truly understand what the hell you had to make of it all.

    One of the reviewers said it was a waste of time saying that is was for the most part filmed in one room and the low budget statement. Well, let's watch 12 Angy Man, to my opinion one of the best movies ever, there is only one room where the entire movie plays out!

    If you like mind-game movies, thriller and secret organization performing (brutal,but not sick-) mind game experiments (where people do die) you should watch this one.
    jaredwillmer_333

    Not bad. But not great.

    When i first started watching this i really got into it but started to lose interest because of a few things - muttering (sometimes you could barely tell what they were saying), Lack of knowing what was REALLY going on that was worth the government to do this to people, Lack of 'twist'.

    This movie started off to seem like it was going to be smart with maybe a few twists, but it turned from that to 'who cares lets just get out of this room'.

    The ending was actually pretty good, the only problem i had is that i know there's not going to be a sequel and it set it up for one. I know their not making a sequel because it was such a low budget film and people have barely heard of it, let alone enjoyed it enough to sit through another one of these films.

    Regardless of how much i liked this film (unless it was just HORRIBLE) i would still like to see a sequel because it left it off in such a way that i think a sequel would be good for this movie for several reasons, because they could do so much more with this story and have a chance to make the next one better and attract more audience members. And partly because i don't like being left in the dark about knowing whats ganna happen next.

    One thing i did notice with this film is that it was trying too hard to be like 'Saw', which is alright i don't have a problem with that because they made it into their own thing, but i think a lot of credit of this movie should go to 'Saw'. Although i enjoyed 'Saw' A lot more.
    8jazz2122

    Really good movie!

    I have to say, for a lower budget/independent psychological horror film, this one was probably one of the better ones I've seen. It's about four people who answer an ad to do some paid research. They are sent into a room, asked to fill out a questionnaire, and then greeted by the man running the 'test.' Without going into any detail, as soon as he explains what's going on, things change and begin to spiral out of control. Very intense and fascinating to watch. Nick Cannon isn't the greatest actor, but I thought he played his part very well in this. I also thought Chloe Sevigny was fantastic in her part, as well. This one is definitely worth a go. Rent it if you have a Netflix/Blockbuster Online account.
    5Scroobious

    To restate what was already stated about not being able to hear what has been stated

    To repeat what I read in a previous review-- what did he say? The dialogue consists of a lot of whispering with cuts to much louder sound effects and screaming, forcing you to keep the volume remote in hand. Or, in my case, leading to apologies to the neighbors for the intermittent screaming last night.

    More to the point, what did the movie say? It's a suspense/thriller, which keeps you waiting and really hoping that the ending pays you back for the time invested. This movie doesn't. The ending forces the viewer to realize how implausible the whole premise is.

    I won't spoil the ending except to say that the ending is spoiled by the time you get to it.

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    Related interests

    Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl (2014)
    Psychological Thriller
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Tony is wearing a Bayside Tigers T-shirt. The Bayside Tigers are the fictional high school football team in Saved By The Bell.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Phillips: I'm gonna tell you what my superior told me some... twenty years ago before I defected: "Never forget that our enemies have someone just like you, someone just like me doing exactly the same thing, as we speak..."

    • Connections
      Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Scariest Creepypastas (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      String Quartet K.458 'The Hunt'
      Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as Mozart)

      Performed by Eder Quartet (as The Eder Quartet)

      Courtesy of Naxos

      By Arrangement with Source/Q

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    FAQ17

    • How long is The Killing Room?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 14, 2009 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Manbreak
    • Filming locations
      • Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
    • Production companies
      • Winchester Capital Partners
      • Entertainment 360
      • Eleven Eleven Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $467,220
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 33m(93 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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