17th Jun2015

‘Age of Kill’ Review

by Paul Metcalf

Stars: Martin Kemp, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Tony Denham, Phil Davis, Lucy Pinder, Donna Air, April Pearson, Dani Dyer, Bruce Payne, Patrick Bergin, Nick Moran, Chris Brazier, Anouska Mond | Written by Simon Cluett | Directed by Neil Jones

age-of-kill

When it comes to low-budget British movies one of the easiest to create seems to be the gangster movie and I’ll admit it that when I got Age of Kill to watch that is exactly what I expected. Thankfully what I found instead was an action movie that takes the subject of terrorism in London and adds a little twist.

Sam Blake (Martin Kemp) is a black ops sniper who finds himself blackmailed into killing six seemingly random people in six hours. If he fails this or tries to contact the police or his bosses his daughter will be killed. As he performs the kills with the police in close pursuit the truth behind the people in his crosshairs slowly becomes apparent and all is evidently not as it seems.

If you’ve seen many British “Gangster” movies, there are actors in Age of Kill that will catch your attention straight off, especially Reggie Kray himself Martin Kemp. Adding to his name though are Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Tony Denham and Phil Davis. Having actors like this as well as others like Lucy Pinder, Donna Air, and April Pearson also give an air of novelty to the film with their recognisability, but the most importantly above that these actors have to make the story believable. Thankfully as this can be a weakness in low-budget films, these actors manage to perform well and give the film the credibility it really needs. A nice little note to add is although Danny Dyer doesn’t get a cameo (insert comic groan here if you like,) but his daughter Dani Dyer does appear as Sam Blake’s daughter and does not let the ensemble cast down with her performance.

With Martin Kemp taking the lead role, a lot of the weight for the success of the film is on his shoulders, it is up to him to engage the audience and keep them interested, and he does just that. As Sam Blake he manages to be charismatic and most importantly believable. Some of the action scenes he takes part in don’t have the best choreography, but a nice touch in close combat situations is a little innovative 1st person perspective that is used, it adds a little impact to the violence. By the end of the film it becomes all too clear that there is a view on continuing the character to other movies, and this would be interesting to see. Sam Blake may not be a James Bond, but as a trained killer assassinating marked targets there is potential for continuing his story. It’ll be interesting to see where they take the character if this is a route taken.

Age of Kill does have its weaknesses, but it is a low-budget movie that can’t pull off miracles. It’s an entertaining if somewhat predictable movie that takes the audience on a thrill packed ride, though the ride does stall a little at times. If sequels do come, this is somewhat of an origin story for Sam Blake, creating a fairly simple history for a typical action hero. With an interesting character that doesn’t outstay his welcome Age of Kill is well worth a viewing, especially if you are in the mood for a no-nonsense action movie.

***½  3.5/5

Age of Kill is available on DVD/Blu-ray/VOD now.

Review originally posted on PissedOffGeek
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