Kill List

"Who’s next?"

2011 1h 35m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 922

HorrorThrillerCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Nearly a year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings. What starts off as an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer into the heart of darkness.

“Who’s next?”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

PhiloSubscription

AMC Plus Apple TV channelSubscription

AMC+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

AMC+ Roku Premium ChannelSubscription

AMC+Subscription

ShudderSubscription

Sundance NowSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

YouTubeRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Apple TV StoreBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Cast

Neil Maskell
Jay
MyAnna Buring
Shel
Harry Simpson
Sam
Michael Smiley
Gal
Struan Rodger
The Client
Emma Fryer
Fiona
Esme Folley
Hotel Receptionist
Ben Crompton
Justin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ben Wheatley
Writers: Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump
Languages: Swedish, English
Countries: United Kingdom, Australia, Sweden

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 90% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Swedish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, Australia, Sweden.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ben Wheatley, shot by Laurie Rose. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jim Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robin Hill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ben Wheatley directs. Laurie Rose behind the camera. Jim Williams scores. Robin Hill cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, Australia, Sweden. Dialogue in Swedish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 90% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 15 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Swedish, English.
5International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, Australia, Sweden.
6Directed by Ben Wheatley, shot by Laurie Rose. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Jim Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Robin Hill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Neil Maskell and MyAnna Buring and Harry Simpson carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Who’s next?".
11IMDB entry: tt1788391 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 18 themes, including "hotel", "husband wife relationship", "post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd)", "hitman".

The technical file

Cinematography: Laurie Rose
Original score: Jim Williams
Editing: Robin Hill
Production design: David Butterworth
Costume design: Lance Milligan
Makeup / hair: Mike Stringer
Sound: Martin Pavey
Stunt coordinator: Glenn Marks
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $500,000
Box office: $450,275
Return: 90% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Kill List (2011)

Also by

Ben Wheatley

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-11-02
★ 8/10
Sometimes God's love can be hard to swallow. A super slice of sub-urban horror crafted by Ben Wheatley, Kill List blends a number of classic British films but still remains very much its own beast. And what a beast it is. Part hit-man thriller and part Wicker Man pagan horror, plot spins hit-man for hire Jay (Neil Maskell) out of his troubled domestic funk, into a world of pain and misery. Taking on a job, he, along with his partner Gal (Michael Smiley), is given a list of names for them to track and terminate. The people and the places they confront are the darkest kind, which brings out Jay's black heart as well. All this while lurking around the edges of the frame is something mysterious, something that will bring Jay to his destiny. There is a rawness to Kill List that strikes hard, a sort of real life documentary feel that marries up with the black material to chill the bones. It's proud of its grimness, even what humour exists within just feels like damaged goods. The sound and camera work gleefully add to the unsettling atmosphere, tactics which help alleviate the feeling that we are once again watching a formulaic British thriller with ideas above its station. But then the curve ball arrives and hits you on the head, bringing dizzy spells and some delirium. Which builds to a finale that will either leave you breathless or angry, but either way Kill List will not be ignored. Impressively performed by the cast, mounted with skill by Wheatley, this is a dark hearted British treasure that hopefully in time will be afforded the praise it deserves. 8/10
tmdb154355192021-04-26
★ 8/10
A bit tough to understand on the first watch, yet gripping and a compelling portrayal of inner demons. But seriously, are the British the only film-makers who can make a decent crime/thriller film??
r96sk2024-09-11
★ 3/10
Rubbi... Wait, people love this? Before I started my review, I decided to take a quick look at the Letterboxd reviews. I always play a minigame in my head by attempting to guess the average rating, for example for the last film I watched - 'Jack the Giant Slayer' - I called it spot on at 2.4. This I genuinely predicted less than 2.0... it's at 3.5! To tell you I was flabbergasted would be an understatement. There have been films in the past when my thoughts are the opposite (both positively and negatively) to the majority elsewhere, but I think this one takes the crown as the most polarizing so far. I just didn't like this 2011 release at all, there's one good piece of violence involving a hammer and a head (not like that, ichthyologists) but otherwise I found it all super underwhelming. I hadn't heard of 'Kill List' prior to watching it, I only decided to do so as I noticed it had Neil Maskell in it and I loved his performance a decade ago in television's 'Utopia' - which is of similar ilk to this actually, just as violent but miles, miles greater. Those behind/alongside Maskell didn't get my approval either, with only the aforementioned violence keeping my attention. I could sense a promising concept in there (which I guess many others actually did see, evidently), though this honestly didn't do anything for me all the way through. I sit here flummoxed reading other reviews, even the Wikipedia 'reception' section is all-out gushing about it too. Did Prime Video play me the wrong movie?! Just noticed that this has the same director as 2016's 'Free Fire' (which I rated 6/10), which is a good example of what I mentioned earlier in regards to my thoughts sometimes being a noticeable difference to the majority (fairly uncommon, fwiw). Maybe I just don't like Ben Wheatley movies?