Kill Me Three Times is a bizarre hit-man comedy that takes place in Australia, and for some reason has Simon Pegg in it. However, despite portraying itself as a comedy and putting Pegg as the main character, I can't think of a single moment that actually made me laugh.
But it's not just the comedy that falls flat. The whole film, even with everything it tried to do, felt extremely uninspired and soulless. I think I was engaged for the first five minutes, and that was mostly due to me not having any idea about what this movie was about. However, as soon as the plot and direction started to crystallize, I lost every last bit of interest. And the way it was structured certainly didn't help. For some odd reason, the film was split into three different acts. The first act, while often the most engaging, was also by far the most confusing. It left everything without explanation and the first third of the movie gave me the impression that stuff just happened for no particular reason. The second act tried its hardest to make me understand the reasons behind everything that had taken place but at that point, I just didn't care anymore. The second act also felt off due to the constant switching between flashbacks that explained the story and the current situation that moved the story forward towards its conclusion. Thankfully the story is as simple as they come, despite trying to create a wow effect towards the end with the seemingly endless twists. Had the plot been any more complicated, I think I would've really struggled with trying to follow along. And as Kill Me Three Times ultimately reached its third and final act, it became clear that any and all form of entertainment was relying on over-the-top kill scenes and the presumably cool plot twists.
However, as dull and simple as the story was, the biggest problem was the lack of comedy. Simon Pegg is, without a doubt, the only saving grace here, as his presence alone was often enough to make the scene better than it had any right to be. Interestingly, though, even he seemed to stay away from any form of comedy. And while this type of film would've been completely fine without any connection to the comedy genre, it's evidently clear that Kill Me Three Times tried to be funny, at least at times. However, as far as my experience with it went, I didn't laugh once. And I do find it quite unfortunate that there was such a clear desire to create a comedy film. Because had that not been the case, I think that a lot of the story would've felt more impactful. But, since it took the direction it took, the resulting product often felt unfocused, and even the more serious scenes felt airy and weirdly impactless. It was almost as if there was an ever-present sense of supposed comedy. No matter the scene, I always assumed that I was supposed to laugh at something, which I rarely did.
Now, I do have a theory as to why that might be. I can't help but feel like this entire film was nothing more than a chance for Simon Pegg to realize one of his many character fantasies. Kill Me Three Times tends to revolve around him and setting up scenes that allow him to do 'cool' stuff, be it throwing a cigarette out of a window nonchalantly, or looking pretentiously badass while shooting someone down. In fact, I'm almost convinced that this whole project was made so that Pegg could play a cool, care-free hit-man that lacks any and all sense of moral. And since it was Pegg that was the star of the show, it seems that it was almost mandatory that there should be comedy elements. Unfortunately, for the sake of this film, the odd mix of a little bit of everything makes for a dull, unimpactful, and lackluster experience.
If someone were to ask me to describe this film to them, I think that the most accurate way for me to do so would be to compare it to the seemingly endless number of Australian drama tv-series. I'm talking about the ones that have at least ten seasons, and are always on a rerun on at least one channel. Kill Me Three Times often feels exactly like those shows feel, and the only thing that makes it feel different is the inclusion of Simon Pegg. While I didn't fully dislike it, the rare scene or sequence that actually felt worthwhile didn't even come close to making up for everything else. Although I'm sure that Simon Pegg had a great time making this and getting to live his fantasies, the final product doesn't deliver what it was supposed to.
But it's not just the comedy that falls flat. The whole film, even with everything it tried to do, felt extremely uninspired and soulless. I think I was engaged for the first five minutes, and that was mostly due to me not having any idea about what this movie was about. However, as soon as the plot and direction started to crystallize, I lost every last bit of interest. And the way it was structured certainly didn't help. For some odd reason, the film was split into three different acts. The first act, while often the most engaging, was also by far the most confusing. It left everything without explanation and the first third of the movie gave me the impression that stuff just happened for no particular reason. The second act tried its hardest to make me understand the reasons behind everything that had taken place but at that point, I just didn't care anymore. The second act also felt off due to the constant switching between flashbacks that explained the story and the current situation that moved the story forward towards its conclusion. Thankfully the story is as simple as they come, despite trying to create a wow effect towards the end with the seemingly endless twists. Had the plot been any more complicated, I think I would've really struggled with trying to follow along. And as Kill Me Three Times ultimately reached its third and final act, it became clear that any and all form of entertainment was relying on over-the-top kill scenes and the presumably cool plot twists.
However, as dull and simple as the story was, the biggest problem was the lack of comedy. Simon Pegg is, without a doubt, the only saving grace here, as his presence alone was often enough to make the scene better than it had any right to be. Interestingly, though, even he seemed to stay away from any form of comedy. And while this type of film would've been completely fine without any connection to the comedy genre, it's evidently clear that Kill Me Three Times tried to be funny, at least at times. However, as far as my experience with it went, I didn't laugh once. And I do find it quite unfortunate that there was such a clear desire to create a comedy film. Because had that not been the case, I think that a lot of the story would've felt more impactful. But, since it took the direction it took, the resulting product often felt unfocused, and even the more serious scenes felt airy and weirdly impactless. It was almost as if there was an ever-present sense of supposed comedy. No matter the scene, I always assumed that I was supposed to laugh at something, which I rarely did.
Now, I do have a theory as to why that might be. I can't help but feel like this entire film was nothing more than a chance for Simon Pegg to realize one of his many character fantasies. Kill Me Three Times tends to revolve around him and setting up scenes that allow him to do 'cool' stuff, be it throwing a cigarette out of a window nonchalantly, or looking pretentiously badass while shooting someone down. In fact, I'm almost convinced that this whole project was made so that Pegg could play a cool, care-free hit-man that lacks any and all sense of moral. And since it was Pegg that was the star of the show, it seems that it was almost mandatory that there should be comedy elements. Unfortunately, for the sake of this film, the odd mix of a little bit of everything makes for a dull, unimpactful, and lackluster experience.
If someone were to ask me to describe this film to them, I think that the most accurate way for me to do so would be to compare it to the seemingly endless number of Australian drama tv-series. I'm talking about the ones that have at least ten seasons, and are always on a rerun on at least one channel. Kill Me Three Times often feels exactly like those shows feel, and the only thing that makes it feel different is the inclusion of Simon Pegg. While I didn't fully dislike it, the rare scene or sequence that actually felt worthwhile didn't even come close to making up for everything else. Although I'm sure that Simon Pegg had a great time making this and getting to live his fantasies, the final product doesn't deliver what it was supposed to.