Mike Mendez’s directorial debut, Killers, is an unexpected fount of disparate ideas. Its release in 1996 certainly feels influenced by the wave of neo- pop culture murderer films of the time, from Pulp Fiction to The Usual Suspects and all of the lower budget direct-to-video releases in between. All of that is distinctly present in the film’s screenplay, co-written by Mendez and Dave Larsen (also acting as one part of the patricidal duo here); but what’s hidden beneath the surface are the other, more horror-centric, elements at play as the film evolves from standard home invasion thriller to a weirdly unique slice into the terrors of suburbia. Killers didn’t get much fanfare in the United States (though it’s somewhat recognized in Germany), but that’s not for lack of trying as Mendez’s film pushes more than a few buttons in its quest to elevate a generic action film to new heights.
The film starts off fairly expectedly with a murder montage featuring Odessa (Larsen) and Kyle (David Gunn) James, who blast away their parents and eventually escape their imprisonment to commit armed entry at the Ryan household. Killers sets up the stereotypical family dynamic – father Charles (Burke Morgan), mother Rea (Damian Hoffer), and daughters Jami (Nanette Bianchi) and Jenny (Renee Cohen) all living their rather standard but mundane lives at home, arguing over board games and pop culture references. But very quickly Mendez exposes some of the film’s secrets – the Ryans aren’t what they appear, particularly Rea, who has a sordid history of prostitution and murder. The film morphs as it goes along, broaching comedy and working in horror elements about cannibalism and humanoid basement dwellers; but it’s best to go in without expectations, so that Killers can subvert them as intended.
Part of the barrier for entry here, though, is the film’s rough start. The script is somewhat painful in that it feels like Mendez and Larsen are trying to ape other movies instead of finding their own voice; the family dialogue especially is fraught with odd parlance or diatribes that don’t necessarily go anywhere. The acting, too, can be inconsistent, which leads to some moments where it’s not clear if the movie intends its playfulness or if it’s just the product of inexperience.
With that said, the actual ideas at play are fairly rewarding, even if they are tucked into overly long passages of not much happening. For a film that incorporates various double-crossings, an elongated cringe-inducing sex sequence, cannibals, basement dwellers, and a CHUD-like entity named Bob, Killers can still hew towards the boring side when it allows its dialogue to do the heavy lifting. The film’s various gun shootouts and wacky reveals help, but Killers is very bottom-heavy and relies on the viewer sticking it out for its bonkers final third. If you can get that far, things go decidedly off-the-rails in a good way, but overall this movie may be a tough watch for most viewers.
Truthfully, there is some fun to be had with Killers, but it’s a bit too uneven for a wholehearted recommendation. As the starting point in Mendez’s career, predating the much better The Convent, this is a look into the works of a director finding his footing, and as a documentation of that process, there’s merit here. And when it comes to the plot itself, the flurry of ideas makes up for some of the problematic execution. And it’s refreshing to see something that deviates from the status quo of the typical direct-to-video action movie from this time period.
Blu-ray
Synapse Films has released Killers on Blu-ray with a scan and restoration from Multicom Entertainment Group, notably offering the original unrated director’s cut featuring the longest runtime of the film’s various releases at 96 minutes. Synapse doesn’t describe exactly what kind of restoration went into this release, but past historical records indicate it could potentially be a 4K remaster from the 35mm negative. Also note IMDb lists the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, though this version is presented at 1.78:1. Whatever the case, this transfer looks pretty good and it certainly seems to retain the original filmic grain without modification since the overall picture can be quite noisy. With that said, it’s generally not obstructive nor clumpy thanks to solid encoding, and it offers up some good detail particularly with the film’s various close-up shots. Color grading and contrast is also quite good, accentuating the colorful Christmas lighting and abundant blue-hued night scenes. This restoration does leave in a lot of damage including a number of dust and debris effects, but otherwise, this looks appropriately grimy for the type of film it represents.
Audio is a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.o stereo track, which sounds expectedly robust with strong dialogue volume. There is occasionally some muffling and reverb along with blown-out gunshot sound effects, but I believe this to be inherent during production. Also of note is a noticeable amount of overdubbing; again, I believe this to just be part of the film experience rather than a sync error on the disc, but a couple of scenes are quite distracting due to the very obvious disconnect between spoken dialogue and on-screen lipreading. English subtitles are also included.
For extras, Synapse Films provides a new audio commentary with director Mike Mendez and journalist Michael Gingold, which is a rewarding listen to hear behind-the-scenes information about the production and filming as well as anecdotes about the experience; Gingold does an excellent job moderating and prompting Mendez for information about particular sequences. Also included is the film’s alternate ending, which interestingly avoids the bleaker original finale. Promo trailers are also available, both standard and more violent. Liner notes from Heather Drain document the film’s release and its critical impression, as well as biographies for some major players in the film.
Extra Features
- NEW Original unrated director’s cut scanned and restored by Multicom Entertainment Group
- NEW Audio commentary with director Mike Mendez and author/horror journalist Michael Gingold
- Promotional trailer 1 (1080p; 2:37)
- Promotional trailer 2 (bloody version) (1080p; 2:37)
- Alternate Ending (1080p; 3:48)
- NEW Liner notes by critic/writer Heather Drain
Verdict
Killers is likely not a film for all audiences, but for those looking to experience a seedy direct-to-video offering that offers a unique perspective on the ’90s crime drama, this release would do well on your shelves. Synapse’s Blu-ray presents Killers in its best home video quality by far and collects a few extras, including an engaging commentary, for those interested in its production.
