If you, a teenage boy, had the opportunity to choose your own inner monologue, chances are that you too would probably go for something that sounds a little like H. Jon Benjamin, of Bob’s Burgers and Archer fame. In the universe of Boy Kills World, this is the voice of the beat ’em up that Boy (Nicholas Crovetti, later Bill Skarsgård) played as a child.
When his mother and sister are executed by the fascist regime of Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), said Boy is rescued and adopted by the mysterious Shaman (Yayan Ruhian), who trains him as an instrument of revenge, turning the child into the ultimate weapon. Left deaf and mute as a result of a transformative mutilation, Boy picks out his own inner monologue – and one which just so happens to sound exactly like Bob Belcher. Striking out on his own, Boy sets about taking down the Van Der Koy corporation, one mini-boss at a time.
Benjamin’s voiceover is either the film’s strongest asset or its biggest problem, depending on how one feels about smart-arse narrators talking all over a perfectly good story (Deadpool has a lot to answer for). It’s an original hook to an otherwise familiar story of revenge in a grim dystopian world (think Gamer meets The Hunger Games), but it’s also immediately grating and undermines both the fight choreography and Skarsgård’s performance. A lot is going on, between the incessant narration and the visions of his young sister (Quinn Copeland) Boy encounters on his journey. There’s also a whole family of villains to beat (Sharlto Copley, Michelle Dockery, Brett Galman), a mysterious helmeted henchwoman (Jessica Rothe) and a mob of hired muscle to pummel through (including a couple of cartoon cereal mascots!) before he can get anywhere near Hilda. The performances are nutty but accomplished, with Galman and Rothe giving particularly good value as the slick executioner and the tired propagandist, respectively. Only Janssen feels out of place, given less texture than the other characters, and unable to match the others in terms of energy or menace.
Boy Kills World wears its video game influences on its sleeve, playing out like a demented cross between Tekken and a Far Cry sequel; meanwhile, the action is bloody and inventive, recalling the ultraviolent Indonesian cinema of The Raid, The Night Comes For Us, and Headshot. Featuring some truly astounding violence – and the most heinous use of a cheese grater since Evil Dead Rise – its action chops are up there with the best of its (many) influences, climaxing in a bone-crunching, flinch-inducing final beatdown that makes up for the headache it took to get there.
BOY KILLS WORLD is in UK cinemas now
