Killing Season (2013)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Did they really think that from lies and garbage an art can be created?! No, my dear all, it's not happening like that. This movie ruined my night, my impression about two great actors (I don't want to see them anymore) and tried to ruin the truth... but, it's not possible, thanks to God. Wait for what you deserve.

When I heard there was a film on DVD that starred both Robert DeNiro and John Travolta, I kind of wondered how I'd missed its theatrical release in the cinema. Well, now I've watched it, I can sort of see why.It's not bad. It's just not that good. It has all the feel of a B-movie that has somehow landed itself a couple of A-list actors to star in it.It starts in the nineties where Robert DeNiro was a U.S. military commander in Eastern Europe. During his service time he was responsible for the (illegal) deaths of a squad of war criminals. Only he didn't kill John Travolta enough and now, several years later, he's tracked DeNiro down to his idyllic mountain cabin in the woods and is out for deadly revenge.What follows is the ultimate 'cat and mouse' chase. And it lasts for about an hour and a half. However, the film's major let-down is the fact that, once it becomes clear that each man wants and has to kill the other in order to survive, it leaves the viewer a little annoyed when they just don't bother. The balance of power shifts between the two so often that they take it in turns to have the upper hand, yet never bother actually killing the other. Yes, I know the film would be over at about the twenty minute mark if one of them bothered to 'off' the other, but it just became a little frustrating after the eighth time one had the other at his mercy, but decided to talk instead of kill.Plus DeNiro had Travolta's accent to worry about – sometimes it sounded like he was being stalked by Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Borat' character! But it's not all bad. Accent or no accent, both actors are pretty good (as you'd expect with such A-list weight on board). Plus there are some pretty sadistic moments of gore than really will leave you a little squeamish.But, at the end of the day, it's basically one on one and you only really have to skip to the final chapter of the DVD to find out who ultimately comes out on top.One for fans of DeNiro/Travolta only, as they do turn in decent enough performances, only the story (or lack of) does tend to let it down a bit and reduce what could have been a classic film into a glorified B-movie.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Morning *** Friday Night ** Sunday Night * Monday MorningBenjamin Ford (Robert De Niro) was a US foot solider who served on the ground in the Bosnian war in the '90's, but who now lives a quiet, isolated existence in the mountains. However, one man, Emil Kovac (John Travolta), a Serbian man Ford was meant to have killed, cannot forgive and forget and has hunted him down to his mountain retreat. Initially friendly, Kovac soon has Ford locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse."De Niro and Travolta, on screen for the first time ever", the publicity on the cover for this film proudly booms. That would be a small screen, however, in this neck of the woods anyway, as Killing Season arrived straight to DVD over here, which sort of sets the bells of doom ringing well beforehand. It's still an interesting pair up, though, but it's quite clear this isn't going to have the sort of quality it would have had if it had came out maybe twenty years ago. It actually opens quite well, after the opening shaky camera battle sequence, establishing an atmospheric tension before the lead paths have even crossed, but somehow when they do, all the components of the machine fall apart, and it just descends on a downward spiral.De Niro tries to inject his role with some dynamism and gravitas, but you can never shake the feeling that it's another one of his 'pay cheque' roles. Travolta, never the most naturalistic actor, here has a dodgy Croatian accent to carry, along with a silly mountie beard. It's a curious pairing, that doesn't work due to the writing they have to contend with, including an unconvincing meeting, an initial bonding that does nothing to establish any menace or sense of unease, and an unexpectedly reflective and gentle ending that shakes it all up. After all this, you might think the ending would be the best bit, and it is, but in a good way, with some beautiful cinematography of the mountains and a nice, gentle song to go with it. It's another real time thriller, meaning it's at least a short affair, but that just shows what a shame it is. **

The following review will contain spoilers.When I first heard about this movie I felt is was going to be another hit or miss lazy direct to home video released film. After watching this film, I honestly can say that I was dead wrong about this film. Nearly everything about this film was perfect. From the acting to the directing, Killing Season delivers on nearly every front and is easily a must watch film. This is my review of Killing Season.The story opens with a flashback to the Bosnian War where Robert De Niro(Benjamin Ford) is serving the U.S. military efforts while John Travolta(Emil Kovac) is considered to be the enemy. The story opens with a line of enemies about to be shot, and we see Ford about to shoot Kovac but, we only hear the shot as the screen cuts to black. The story continues as Kovac gets Intel on where Ford is hiding out these days. He gets this information to hunt him down, torture him, and make him repent to God. The story continues on with more detail but, I will not be going into greater detail, just wanted to give a detailed outline of the story for the most part. This story was written by Evan Daugherty, who recently wrote the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie from 2014. While I rightly trashed his effort in that film, I was shocked to see him lay out such a great story with fantastic characters like Ford and Kovac. This film is a lesson that don't always judge a book by its cover. If I had done that, then this is a film I would have easily passed over without thinking twice about it. This film really centers on conversation to build up the characters, and with amazing actors this type of film really worked very well. The script is not without its faults though. Ford, a military man, makes some questionable mistakes in the film, and this has to be chalked up to taking your eye off the ball for the sake of making the story more ingesting. Daugherty delivers one heck of an effort overall though for this film, that even surprised be. Even with some sloppier writing in certain areas, the movie holds together nicely.The film was directed by Mark Steven Johnson, who is known for some bad films like Daredevil and Ghost Rider. While I must agree with the masses on those two film, his effort in this film is completely different. This type of film itself is widely different than the more uptempo films like Ghost Rider and Daredevil. This is a more character driven film, with some very light action scenes. While the actions scenes come few and far between, when Johnson delivers these bigger scenes, they are so amazingly shot. Since this is lower budget film, you can notice some cheap green screening in certain spots but, that doesn't take away from the film itself. With a film like this, having great actors hold the film together is very important. John Travolta and Robert De Niro works so very well together, and this is very important as they have so many scenes where they banter back and forth. These two legends of acting really make this film something very special in the acting department, and is really the big reason to see this film. Even though Johnson has had some bad efforts in the past, his effort in this film was truly special to watch. Outstanding film and outstanding job of writing and directing in this film.Christopher Young is the composer for this film, and he has composed many big films in the past like Spider-Man 3, Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and even composed the 2014 film Deliver Us from Evil. This being a more laid back character driven film, with minimal action scenes it is tough to steal the show for a composer unless you have great talent. Young shows how amazing he is at scoring films. The depth his score adds, especially towards the end of the film, is truly a wonderful thing to hear.In closing, the honest truth here is if you can watch this movie, I highly recommend it the film to everyone. While light on action, the story and the fabulous acting from John Travolta and Robert De Niro is more than enough to keep your attention for the duration of this incredible movie. For a movie like this I tend to dish out about a six to seven out of ten but, since the acting is so amazing, I thought it really did deserve an eight out of ten. A major streaming outlet does in fact carry this film, so if you subscribe to that, or if you have the ability to rent it, then this is a must see film.8/10