They Will Kill You
They Will Kill You might be my favorite Zazie Beetz movie ever. If I had to describe this movie in one word, it would be “raw”. Now I know that might sound a little rudimentary to some, but it’s the best way I can describe the marvel of this movie. It reminds me a lot of other action movies like Kill Bill & John Wick, and even Blade to some degree. Granted, there might not be as much finesse or gunplay as in Ana de Armas’ Ballerina from the world of John Wick. This movie follows a very capable Asia Reaves on a quest to save her sister.
See, this epic tale is full of action, thrills, and, for lack of a better word, carnage. Many tried, and many failed to take her out. It didn’t matter how many ops you threw at her cause she might mess around and throw a whole machete back at you. From the flare to the gore to the pacing to the cinematography and special effects, it was all like music to my ears. Well, at least till they would show all the random cult/satanic stuff The Virgil was founded on. I could honestly do without all that, but everything else was amazing.
They Will Kill You lived up to the epic trailer I saw before watching Hoppers for the first time. Which, funny enough, is Pixar’s newest movie to hit theaters as of me writing this. Obviously, a completely different vibe. But I also reviewed that before this movie, so definitely check that out if you haven’t already. You can find it on my Substack or YouTube. But enough with the shameless plugs. Let’s get back to the topic at hand. I believe the trailer did a good job explaining this crazy situation. Without giving away too many key details.
There were still plenty of crazy moments left out of the trailer. So the trailer/movie ratio was excellent. Which is pretty rare nowadays with action & “horror” movies. Even though personally, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that They Will Kill You is all that scary. I would still throw it in the thriller category. By the nature of how the plot is basically a set of stages. With each one getting more and more epic as the stunts become more and more demanding. But because of the subject matter, it makes sense why they would label it as horror, but aye to each their own.
Now, to dive a little deeper into the plot of the movie. They Will Kill You is one of the movies that kind of drip-feeds you the story. We get a nice lil chunk of backstory earlier on, then throughout the story, or stage, if you will. Shout out to all my gamers out there. We get to see more and more pieces of the overarching narrative fall into place. So, at the core of this movie, the story in and of itself is good. Mainly because of its simplicity. Allowing for the character to really shine. Almost to the point where their performance overshadows the entire plot. Keeping things bare-bones, so to speak, helps create the desperation and focus we felt on screen. It was about putting the next foot in front of the next foot. Not looking ten steps ahead, it was urgent, and it was raw. Especially early on, when we didn’t know what was really going on.
By the time the full story was revealed, it almost didn’t matter how we got here. What mattered is that we made it. Now you might be thinking to yourself, so then how does that make They Will Kill You a story worth telling? Well, the answer to that question is quite simple. Flaming Axes… okay, I’m just joking, there’s more to it than that. In my opinion, what makes a movie like They Will Kill You worth watching is the “fight”. And yes, I mean that in the literal sense. Seeing Zazie Beetz do her thing against all of the bots, ads, cult members, whatever you want to call them.
But at the same time, I also mean the “fight” in the metaphorical sense as well. We get to see somebody attempt to redeem a past mistake, a past trauma, in the only way they know how. Granted, is it the most graceful approach? Absolutely not. But it felt real. And you could see the passion and understand the grit it takes to try to take on what feels like the world. To accomplish something seemingly impossible. Just the sheer physicality it took to pull some of this stuff off should be applauded. That’s why we use the word raw to describe the movie They Will Kill You earlier. Cause it is in every sense of the word... raw.
See if you ask me, the appeal of the film isn’t just all the different action sequences. Which felt larger than life sometimes. Or seeing all the blood and gore like it’s a classic Quentin Tarantino movie. Naw... no, it’s the entertainment aspect of it that makes this movie stand out. From the way they shot it to the back and forth between characters. The world-building sprinkled throughout even has me thinking there could be some kind of spin-off. Especially cause of how the movie ended. Through and through, I was entertained from start to finish. Once you get past the satanic cult stuff and the sketchy CGI later on in the movie. I believe They Will Kill You has a lot of rewatchability.
Don’t even get me started on the cinematography, omg. Between the cinematography and the choreography of the fights, I still don’t know which one I liked more. Cause it really felt instinctual. I don’t know a better way to describe it, which is why I called it raw. I know that isn’t the most elegant or sophisticated word to critique something. But it’s true. And it carried throughout the whole movie. My absolute favorite shot was when they used the fish-eye lens to emphasize how intense things were. That was just one of the many action sequences that kept me hyped and locked in, ready for the next one.
Even the treatment they used to film one of the early scenes in They Will Kill You, when Asia was peaking under the bed. It was a buttery smooth transition. This was one of the first indicators for me that we were in for a treat. Now I am no expert in cinematography or DP, so I can’t explain all the intricacies that go into making that shot work. But what I can say is that I have seen a whole lot of other movies that just do a normal jump cut. I’m not taking anything away from those movies. But more so, appreciating the level of detail and craft they put forth. To make They Will Kill You as crispy as possible. The point being, you can tell where they put all their money in this movie. Pyrotechnics & Blood Splatter, yes, CGI pigs... not so much. So, like with a lot of good movies, there is some give and take to consider. But if you ask me, Zazie Beetz and the rest of the team behind They Will Kill have a lot to give.
I’m might not be willing to go as far as to say that They will kill you is going to be the best movie to come out in 2026. But I will say it is going to be one of the most entertaining 100%. Seeing someone very capable go against bots is always going to be fun to watch, regardless of the premise. With this film, because of Asia’s choice of weapons and the origin of her fighting prowess. It almost feels tangible to a certain extent. And also because the win condition of her adversaries was so broken, you couldn’t help but root for her. Just the sheer physicality of this movie should get them some nominations, in my opinion.
Bottom line, this film lived up to the moment. The story was smooth the actors were better. The chemistry between Zazie Beetz and Myha’la was unmatched. Best sister combo since idk when. Since it was a shorter movie, the pacing felt great, and I really enjoyed watching it. I would definitely recommend it, but maybe not to any and everybody. Not because it’s not good or anything silly like that. But cause of the whole you know cult thing. Outside of that, They Will Kill You definitely lived up to my expectations. Which is why I gave it a 9/10 G-Files Score.
