Many action films thrive on a simple premise, and They Will Kill You stands as a prime example of the ‘less is more’ philosophy. Its narrative is refreshingly straightforward, wasting no time on exposition and propelling the plot forward with relentless pace. Spanning a tight 94 minutes, the film is almost entirely devoid of filler, with most scenes culminating in exhilarating combat. The result is an explosive thrill ride from start to finish, easily one of the most inventive, brutally entertaining action-horror films I’ve encountered in recent years.
I must admit, I approached They Will Kill You with a degree of skepticism. The core premise—a young woman battling for survival in an enclosed space against a cadre of wealthy elites hunting the less fortunate for sport or ritualistic pleasure—feels somewhat overdone. Moreover, it can feel a tad frivolous, at least to my taste, to see so many films playfully engage with this concept, especially when one considers the real-world atrocities committed by the genuinely wealthy on a certain infamous island for decades, seemingly without concern then or now. Of course, this isn’t the film’s fault…
Coincidentally, They Will Kill You is released around the same time as a strikingly similar film, the hypothetical sequel Ready or Not: Here I Come. However, this offering from Russian director Kirill Sokolov truly sets itself apart with its distinctive originality and unique style. The Muschietti brothers were wise to recognize Sokolov’s talent; They Will Kill You possesses all the ingredients to become a future cult classic.
Perhaps a significant reason for my deep enjoyment of this film lies in its seamless integration of video game aesthetics and mechanics. I found myself immensely entertained by its resemblance to a Metroidvania game: the protagonist, Asia Reeves, portrayed brilliantly by Zazie Beetz, infiltrates a New York apartment tower to rescue her sister. Once inside, she faces a literal gauntlet of assassins, yet Asia possesses impressive combat skills and acquires various weapons throughout her perilous journey, ascending and descending the building’s levels while battling hordes of enemies.
There’s a sequence where she’s unable to defeat enemies in a particular room until she ‘finds’ a new weapon, allowing her to return and dispatch them all. I won’t spoil the specific weapon or its necessity, but I’ll confess that this, and other moments, had me laughing out loud in my seat in a way few recent films have managed. The action itself is utterly fabulous, boasting incredible yet realistic choreography and an abundance of creativity in the brutal ways characters are dismembered, crushed, or set ablaze.
The film’s relentless pacing deliberately minimizes time spent on exposition, flashbacks, and overarching plot explanations, ensuring the narrative never loses momentum. A minor drawback to this approach is that some secondary characters—essentially the building’s ‘mini-bosses’—don’t get extensive development, and the finale feels somewhat abrupt. In essence, you’re likely to be left wanting more, much like when a short but incredibly fun video game ends too soon.
I watched They Will Kill You and the aforementioned Ready or Not: Here I Come back-to-back, and the resemblance between the two films is striking: their plots are nearly identical, revolving around two sisters attempting to reconnect while being hunted by the wealthy for sacrificial purposes. While it might be slightly unfair to compare them directly, the Ready or Not sequel felt largely uninspired, unfunny, repetitive, overlong, and at times bordering on tedious in my estimation. In stark contrast, They Will Kill You proved to be a tour de force from beginning to end.
Featuring some of the most brutal and violent combat I’ve witnessed recently, a pair of sympathetic protagonists, highly stylized yet never distracting visual choices, and a healthy dose of dark humor, They Will Kill You offers a short but intensely satisfying ride that leaves you eager for more. It’s truly one of the purest ‘Metroidvania’ films since Die Hard. Simply put, it’s a damn good time.