Director: Robert Luketic
Writer: Bob DeRosa, Ted Griffin
Release Date: June 16 2010
Running Time: 93 mins
Certificate: 12
Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Tom Selleck, Catherine O’Hara, Kevin Sussman
The man responsible for Legally Blonde, Monster-in-Law, Win A Date With Tad Hamilton! and The Ugly Truth returns with yet another romantic comedy and is reunited with Katherine Heigl again.
A kind of inferior True Lies more than fifteen years on, Killers sees agent Spencer Aimes’ (Ashton Kutcher) cover blown when a twenty million dollar contract is put out on his life. Recruited in college, as the ideal independent trainee with no ties, after his parents died, Spencer decides to pack in the secret life he’s become disillusioned with when he meets Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl) on holiday in Crete. Three years later on his thirtieth Birthday, it’s not a suspected affair that blows his cover, but the sudden and persistent pot shots all his neighbours inexplicably start taking at him.
Starting with some promise, Killers soon descends into farcical nonsense with characters you couldn’t care less about. The early blossoming of romance between Spencer and Jen was almost convincing until Director, Robert Luketic, decides to snowball through and get down to the gun brandishing.
Jen’s alcoholic mother, played by Catherine O’Hara, acts as the only light-relief in an intentionally comical script that unfortunately falls flat. Drifting through life in an alcoholic daze, Mrs Kornfeldt’s daily liquid breakfast appears to consist of a juice bucket, containing mostly vodka. Meanwhile, her rather aloof husband (Tom Selleck) plays it cool erring on the side of caution.
Chemistry lacks between Kutcher and Heigl and the revelation of Spencer’s previous career cues some predictably irritating bickering but easily pleased ladies may be content just to drool over the many buffed up topless scenes and nostalgic Selleck fans will be happy to see him back on the big screen, albeit in a fairly dire production. If there’s one message that can be taken from this film, it’s be wary of your neighbours.
**
