Hey gang, Valkor here. You ever watch a film and as you’re maybe 15 – 20 minutes in, you feel as though you simply want to get to the end of it? That’s how I felt when the latest film "Age of Kill", a product from the UK, slid across my desk. And while it has an awesome concept, it lacks in other areas.
Age of Kill puts the focus on Sam Blake (Martin Kemp), a black ops sniper as well as father to his daughter while estranged from his ex-wife. One morning, while watching the news post an operation, he suddenly gets a call from a man simply known as “Jericho”. Jericho wants Sam to kill six specific targets all within six hours on the hour. At first Sam isn’t up for taking orders from some unknown but then Jericho ups the stakes by revealing he has Sam's daughter. And not doing what he's toild would mean her death. This new revelation puts sam into action with the quickness; his first couple of targets he takes out with ease, but his third target, while it was a successful kill, gets him spotted by a couple of passersby. This sets the police hot on his trail, which will make it difficult to get to the remaining targets.
But running parallel to Sam’s quest we have Lexi (April Pearson), a prostitute who is also working for Jericho. And much like with Sam, he's got leverage on Lexi in the form of her uncle, with the same promise of death should she not comply with his demands. Her tasks are more drop and retrieve, but ultimately the two paths eventually cross and she and Sam begin working together towards their final target. However in Sam’s case, this could be his last if he doesn’t find Jericho and put an end to his rein once and for all.
If you’re a fan of FOX’s 24, you’ll find plenty of similarities between Sam Blake and Jack Bauer; both fight for the greater good and both will take out as many people as possible if shit becomes personal. There’s even a clock that counts down their mission, though in Bauer’s case, it’s more real time (since the show spans 24 episodes - 24 hours), whereas Blake’s clock seems to be a bit off… regardless of that, let’s find out why or even why not, you’ll want to take an interest in Sam Blake’s tale in the TOV Breakdown.
The Good:
Age of Kill had me from the jump; just the idea of a sniper going around popping people off because some Jigsaw type commands him to do so, is just amazing! I loved the idea behind this film and for the most part, it played out to my expectations. The twist ending, which was the reveal of the victims Sam killed, was the real shocker. I mean I wasn’t blown away but I was surprised. There were definitely some missteps with the film, but overall Age of Kill is very watchable and very intriguing. The acting is solid, and Martin Kemp is bad ass as Sam Blake; the film ends with him continuing his missions and I’m all for seeing more of him in action. Age of Kill isn’t one of the best, thought-provoking or suspenseful films I’ve watched, but it is interesting…
The Bad:
But being interesting can only take you so far; and with Age of Kill, you’ll lose interest real quick. This is the type of film where you’ll kinda get an idea of how it’s gonna end and as the story plays out, you just want to skip to the end and get it over with. That’s kind of harsh I know, given the little bit of praise I gave it above, but it’s true. However, I stuck it out, allowing the film to play out in its entirety. And while I walked away not entirely satisfied, I did walk away pleased to some degree. Age of Kill is also the type of tale that could have used a few more minutes in the clean-up oven, polishing up the script, the action, the direction, just… a little bit of everything here and there. Anything and everything outside of Sam’s quest, other than Lexi’s, makes the film feel clunky and out of place. Did we need any attention on the cops, or this neo nazi group? I would have liked more attention on Sam and even Lexi rather than those areas. The fight scenes, what little was tossed in, were also not very good – the scene on the stairwell, where Sam faces two combatants, fighting with his rifle case… ugh! In short, Age of Kill needed more polish before it was ready for primetime.
The Ugly:
That one first person perspective fight scene – that was just sloppy and unnecessary!
Age of Kill is available now, but only in the UK; so if you’re interested, you’ll have to import this one, but I did see it available on Amazon Instant Video UK. I liked the concept behind this film, but the finished product was a total washout. And out of TOV 5 stars, I’m giving Age of Kill a 2 because I think Sam Blake could be a cool action hero.
