Weddings don’t always go without a hitch. However, this particular wedding, between a pair of co-workers (Ser’Darius Blain and Natalie Burn), is set for disaster as the Bride has had second thoughts and decides to flee. She not only wants out of the nuptial but also the business she and her now ex-husband-to-be are part of. Through an alternate narrative (the couple are on their honeymoon; is it a flash-forward? A dream? Wait and see!), we learn that ‘The University’ that employs them didn’t take kindly to them being together, but they certainly won’t let the Bride walk away. The groomsmen track her down to a remote hideaway, and a fierce fight breaks out as she doesn’t want to come back peacefully.
A hybrid of John Wick and Tarantino, Til Death Us Do Part, the latest feature from director Timothy Woodward Jr (The Call) is an exhilarating, tense ride peppered with some black humour and a very resilient bride. As the story unfolds and the nature of The University’s business becomes clear (it won’t take you long to guess), the action becomes brutal. Natalie Burn excels in these scenes, high-kicking and rolling with the best of them, her white bridal gown becoming increasingly blood-spattered. As she spars with the various Goonsmen, sorry, Groomsmen, we see how adept she is at handling herself, but she gets a few knocks too and isn’t unrealistically super-powered.
The film is full of knowing moments. At one point, Jason Patric (The Lost Boys) gives a monologue that’s clearly a homage to Robert Shaw’s legendary speech in Jaws, which is just as intense, if for totally different reasons. Likewise, the classic songs on the soundtrack are queued up by the smarmy, overly confident Best Man (Cam Gigandet, Violent Night), who gives his best Travolta/Mr Blonde moves. There are plenty of comedic elements to be found with the diminutive Groomsman, T-Bone (Pancho Moler, 3 from Hell), providing some chainsaw-wielding highlights as he displays the ultimate in ‘little man syndrome’.
There isn’t a weak link in the cast, and Til Death Us Do Part is definitely an entertaining movie, but if we were to make one negative note, it would be that at 110mins, it’s a little too long. Some scenes play out longer than they should, and – no matter how entertaining they are – Gigandet’s dancing gets a bit repetitive. This is a small quibble, though, and it’s well worth checking out.
Til Death Do Us Part is released on digital platforms in the UK from April 8th.
