Some Guy Who Kills People Review

I will say this, right of the bat, Some Guy Who Kills People is not for everyone. But then again, that's like saying S&M is only for a select audience-- some things are just self-explanatory. But what might surprise some people is why Some Guy Who Kills People is for a niche audience. There is a slight bit of gore, nothing over the top, so it is not the torture-porn audience that it is selling to, despite what the title might have you believe. What the film is about is social awkwardness, and it is played adeptly and expertly by Kevin Corrigan as Ken Boyd, a social misfit who just recently, as of the opening of the film, came out of the looney bin.

What follows is a fun romp through rural America with a few stereotypes (the jocks and the geeks serve a familiar role), but overall enough animated characters as to be interesting. One of the first we encounter is Sheriff Walt Fuller (played by Barry Bostwick ), who is a delightful if not exaggerated oaf. The Sheriff is decidedly dry, commenting on each of the murders with an accidental wit that is both dark and, more often than not, sincerely funny. Some of the jokes made with the Sheriff's character shouldn't be funny-- they are far too dry, and often obvious puns-- but Mr Bostwick plays the character with such loveable enthusiasm that it is hard not to chuckle as he comments with things like “well we should find his head!”

Ice Cream never looked so... awkward and murderous

One of the characters I felt missed a few beats-- not by any fault of the actor, but the script-- was the mother, played by none other than Karen Black . Once again, it isn't that the actress misses any steps, but her character is a bit too ambiguous. Is she aware of the darkness surrounding her son? Is she aware of what banging the Sheriff does for the poor guy? She is both kind of a bitch-- yelling at her son to return so she doesn't have to put up with her grand-daughter-- and kind, pushing Ken toward said grand-daughter so he doesn't end up ostracizing himself from her. I was not sure what to think of her character, as she is perhaps a bit too morally ambiguous. It's one thing, say, to have the complexity of Dexter or many of the characters from Breaking Bad, but it is another thing entirely to be both a jerk and a nice person at the same time, and it would have been nice to see her character developed with a little more complexity.

That being said, Mr Corrigan as Ken Boyd cannot be applauded enough. The awkwardness of his character drips through, and almost makes the viewer clear his throat and give the movie a few steps of personal space. For someone who is somewhat socially awkward, this character will ring so true as to make him almost immediately endearing. You really feel for the guy as every new social interaction becomes more and more difficult for him to fake his way through. A particularly affective scene involves a painting as a makeshift obstacle blocking a goodnight kiss.

Art appreciation with a touch of first date awkwardness

The same can be said for Ken's love interest, played by Lucy Davis . Her character is endearingly awkward, and all the more sweet for being infatuated by the nervous, shy, and obviously broken Ken. Although Miss Davis seems to be hit or miss with audiences-- I've heard reviews of her work that describe her as “annoying”-- I find her work here to be delightful, and the chemistry with Mr Corrigan is affective if not entertainingly painful to watch.

That is not to say that the film is perfect. This awkwardness is an overarching theme in the film, and for those not accustomed or inclined toward this type of humour, the pacing might seem broken and slow. And indeed, it would be painfully so if it wasn't for the social interactions being entertainingly awkward.

Another issue I have with the film is the obvious 'twist' at the end. It is not much of a spoiler to say that there is a red herring, and most viewers will be able to catch it right away. However, what is even less expertly handled is the result of the misdirection, which involves at least one question that cannot easily be answered (and incidentally is a tad of a spoiler alert), and that question involves a character being present shortly after the murders that should not have known, by the logic of the film, that the murders were to happen.

However, that minor blip notwithstanding, the film has a handful of very quotable moments, and the actors are wonderful in each of their respective roles. Some characters are underdeveloped, but this could have been the result of the cutting room floor, brought on by pressure to keep the running time a specific length. However, what is left is still a very strong film, one that is entertaining and as awkward as the day is... cough... long...

...

I give the film a 95%.