PIC of the Week – 68 Kill
Article series by Ray Schillaci
Very little to choose from this week. Slim pickin’s with yet another entry in the Saw series, this time giving the title character the full title treatment with Jigsaw. A movie that divided audiences nearly as much as Mother!, but with a longer title, The Killing of a Sacred Deer. And, another mega-disaster, Geostorm. So, this forces me to go back a couple weeks and have my PIC be a real obscure black comedy that nearly has as many gasps as laughs, and for some, you may not be laughing at all.
For those that caught writer and former Tromadite Trent Haaga’s last lethal laced comedy, Cheap Thrills, which went into very dark territory, well…welcome to Trent’s world. With 68 Kill, he not only writes, but also directs. My God, I was not prepared for After Hours (Martin Scorsese) meets grindhouse girls. Yes, you too can wallow in this ode to trailer trash shenanigans with a vicious bite. Then again, many of you may want to take a pass on this one. But those who love the Rodriguez/Tarantino/Roth/Wright/Zombie spectacular, Grindhouse, you will be thrilled that someone out there can make one of these without making fun of it.
Mind you, the budget is small, but the dark heart is big. And, once you start it, you may have a hard time turning it off because it’s like watching a bad traffic accident. Writer/director Haaga fashions the simple story of a simpleton, Chip, who pumps sewage to try to make ends meet while living in his trailer home, but it’s all good because he has the hottest girlfriend on the planet. One problem, Liza whores around to make up for whatever income her boyfriend cannot come up with in order to get by.
Now, this is no ordinary trailer trash love story. Liza has a plan to start a new life by robbing one of her customers, and she’s insisting that Chip pull his weight on the job. That’s when Chip discovers Liza makes every whacked-out women in cinema look mild. That’s right, the gals from Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct cannot hold a candle to Liza’s crazy. What starts off as a simple heist turns into a murderous rampage of bloodbath proportions and uncomfortable laughs. I know that does not sound like it goes together, but Haaga manages it, and takes it to more extremes than his Cheap Thrills.
Shout! Factory presence this raucous wild ride in Blu with a 1080p transfer which provides the gritty look it deserves. The 5.1 DTS-HD Master audio is busy and fun with the appropriate bang for the buck. Drawback…no extras other than unimpressive double-sided artwork, Spanish subtitles, a trailer, and 2 discs (Blu and DVD).
In conclusion, some may find this piece of insanity tasteless, offensive, and a bit shocking. But, others will find a mean-spirited child-like glee about it that may have you re-watching it after getting over the initial shock. Between Haaga’s writing/directing, and stars Matthew Gray Gubler ((500) Days of Summer) and Annalynne McCord (Excision, (TV series) 90210) outrageous and fun star turns, this bizarre little trip is worth taking (for some).
Amazon – $14.99
