The Kill Room (2023)
The Kill Room is an American crime comedy, that works just fine as a star vehicle for Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson.
Written by Jonathan Jacobson and directed by Nicol Paone, it tries to sell us on the idea that the art world and the criminal underbelly have more in common than you might think.
The Kill Room tells the story of struggling gallery owner Patrice (Uma Thurman), who is befriended by local crime boss Gordon (Jackson), who asks her to be part of a lucrative money laundering scheme.
Gordon will pay Patrice large sums of cash and in return she will write him cheques (minus her cut) for some awful art, painted by Gordon’s hitman assistant Reggie (Joe Manganiello) in his spare time, when he’s not busy offing people.
The paintings, ascribed to an outsider artist called The Bagman, are not meant to be seen by (or sold to) real collectors, but Patrice’s intern Leslie (Amy Keum) is so enthusiastic to finally see some money coming in, that she cannot help but spill the beans, both in real life and on social media.
That this will lead to all sorts of problems basically goes without saying. The Bagman becomes famous and the financiers behind Gordon’s criminal outfit become worried that the authorities will get wind of the money laundering scheme and will start asking questions about buried bodies.
It all leads to a semi-shocking finale during a Miami art fair, where the link between performance art and murder becomes clear and the movie definitely lives up to its title.
So yes, there is some violence in the movie, but still, for the most part it’s a charming comedy caper, with a couple of bona fide movie stars having a real good time with the material, that is often smart, funny and incisive.
Thurman and Jackson both starred in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, but didn’t share any scenes together. Here they show us what great chemistry they have.
At the same time, Manganiello more than holds his own as Reggie a.k.a. The Bagman (who kills people using a plastic bag), while Debi Mazar has a fun supporting role as an art critic nicknamed The Kimono after her favorite outfit.
Whether the contemporary art world really is as cut throat as the criminal world, remains an open question, but The Kill Room makes a good case for it.
Note: The Kill Room has been released in various countries, like the United States, Spain and the United Kingdom, either as a theatrical release or online. It opens theatrically in Canada on November 14 and The Netherlands on November 16.