They Will Kill You Movie Review: Zazie Beetz powers this stylish and savage horror actioner

Story: Unaware of the history of strange disappearances at the Virgil, Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) accepts a job as a housekeeper at the skyrise in New York City. Her first night turns violent, as she's being hunted by a Satanic cult. Will she make it out alive?Review: Think of a gonzo movie that woke up and chose violence. Any Quentin Tarantino outing, the John Wick series, Bob Odenkirk in Nobody, or Sisu will come to mind. Hold my machete, says Zazie Beetz as she goes on a rampage in this heavily stylised, female-led action flick. Director and co-writer Kirill Sokolov and writer Alex Litvak mean business with the word go. Beetz’s Asia Reaves shoots her abusive father to save herself and her sister, Maria Reaves (played by Myha'la when she grows up). However, she panics and takes off, leaving her kid sister with the tormentor. Fast forward 10 years, Asia comes to work at the Virgil, an upscale building from 1913, home only to the movers and shakers of society, who happen to be Satan worshippers. If Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining has taught us anything, it’s that heritage-rich, expansive, and hauntingly beautiful edifices are never good news. Asia is about to find out, as masked and dangerous residents come after her on the first night, creeping in from secret doors behind the refrigerator, the vent, and whatnot. Thereon, relentless action ensues. Each attack is more gruesome than the previous one. The culprits are beheaded, arterial spray is unleashed, and bodies are hacked, but the dead refuse to stay dead. The visuals are gory, the violence is dizzying, and Isaac Bauman’s cinematography takes the visceral treatment to the next level. This is a horror movie with hints of comedy. Tenant Sharon (Heather Graham) eyeballs Asia, quite literally, as her eye pops out of the socket and wanders off, following the heroine while she tries to escape the building. The film has a lot going on in both its treatment and its action. However, a satisfying storyline or a narrative is starkly missing. The film feels one-dimensional, and despite its crisp 95-minute runtime, the viewer yearns for more than just a bloodbath. The movie also feels overcrowded and too chaotic for its own good. Zazie Beetz brings a killer performance to the table, with on-point action sequences. She is convincing in each scene as a powerful protagonist who can’t be messed with. Patricia Arquette, as her boss Lily, is terrifying in a stern matron-like way. Tom Felton, Heather Graham, Myha'la, and Paterson Joseph are solid in their turns, but their characters are grossly underdeveloped. They Will Kill You is effective as an uber-stylised actioner and a Satanic cult movie. You will have a good time if you are in the mood for blood, gore, and relentless mayhem. But beyond the visual frenzy and Zazie Beetz’s performance, the film offers little that truly sticks.