Review: 'They Will Kill You' is generous with its cartoonish bloodshed, in service to a one-note action scenario

I have to appreciate the absurd amount of spurting blood and flesh-chopping mayhem Russian director Kirill Sokolov packs into his first Hollywood feature, the comic gorefest “They Will Kill You” — even if the script and pacing became a bit monotonous.

The movie’s central relationship is between Asia (Zazie Beetz) and her younger sister, Maria (played by Myha’la as an adult). In the prologue, they’re trying to escape a sadistic stepfather (Darron Meyer). Asia succeeds, but leaves Maria behind.

Ten years later, we find Asia finding work at The Virgil, a dark and foreboding residential hotel in Manhattan. The boss, Lilith (Patricia Arquette), lets her in, then locks the door behind them. In the script, Sokolov and co-writer Alex Litvak (“Predators”) drop broad hints that the rich clientele — including a beauty guru, Sharon (Heather Graham), and somebody named Kevin (Tom Felton) — are more than they appear. 

The same could be said for Asia, who we quickly learn is a prison-hardened fighter with one thing on her mind: Rescuing Maria, who’s trapped here as part of The Virgil’s service staff. Then come two surprises: Maria isn’t that eager to leave, and the residents — including Lilith and her handyman husband, Ray (Paterson Joseph) — have made a pact with the devil to attain immortality.

The important part is that Asia must fight her way out of several floors of The Virgil, and does so using a shotgun, a machete, a flaming ax, and whatever other destructive objects are at hand. Sokolov seems to find inspiration in everything from “Oldboy” to “Kill Bill” to “From Dusk Till Dawn” — but he’s not quite clever enough to bring his own distinctive style to the battle scenes.

There are other wasted opportunities in “They Will Kill You,” like reducing the usually alluring Graham to a special effect for the movie’s back half, and giving a good scenery-chewer like Felton little to work with. Everyone gets subsumed in the grimy, fetid atmosphere of The Virgil and Sokolov’s dimly lit horror show.

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‘They Will Kill You’

★★1/2

Opens Friday, March 27, in theaters everywhere. Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, language and brief sexual content/nudity. Running time: 94 minutes.