Film Review – They Will Kill You (2026)

      They Will Kill You, 2026.

      Directed by Kirill Sokolov.

      Featuring Zazie Beetz, Myha’la, Paterson Joseph, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, Patricia Arquette, Armando Rivera, David Viviers, Lindzay Naidoo, Chris van Rensburg, Gabe Gabriel, Megan Alexander, and Darron Meyer.

      SYNOPSIS:

      A woman begins working as a housekeeper in a high-rise in New York City, unaware of the building's mysterious history of disappearances. She quickly discovers that the community surrounding her is filled with secrets.

      As co-writer/director Kirill Sokolov's They Will Kill You unfolds, it becomes increasingly tiresome and lacking in energy. The most regrettable aspect is that the majority of the film's secrets are exposed within the first 20 minutes. This doesn’t prevent the filmmaker (working with Alex Litvak) from attempting to add more, but the additions feel poorly developed or are clumsy attempts at altering character dynamics—such as inserting awkward flashbacks—seeking to extend the film's repetitive narrative. The unfortunate reality is that this movie lacks direction until it reaches its climax. It’s frustrating because the characters have a rich history—who they are, what they desire, and the significance of their location—which is never fully explored; instead, it merely serves as a backdrop for the grindhouse-style violence that becomes monotonous.

      Following the trend of recent films, this story revolves around a satanic elite residing in an antiquated building known as the Virgil. Numerous shady incidents occur, with law enforcement being disinterested, given the privileged status of the residents. This location functions not only as an apartment but also as a site of satanic worship, where its inhabitants are recorded in a book or scroll, granting them immortality. To maintain this luxury, they require the occasional human sacrifice, leading to help being lured in for reasons beyond mere cleaning and cooking.

      Several intriguing threads exist in this narrative, including the interracial couple leading this group, who have been in love for nearly a century. They once experienced isolation and loneliness (likely due to racism and disapproval of their relationship), and they seemingly discovered this place, winning favor with the satanic entity that lives there while sacrificing malicious individuals. In modern times, the man (Paterson Joseph) has grown weary of this and developed a conscience, feeling that they are no longer targeting wicked people. Meanwhile, the woman (Patricia Arquette) seems to be increasingly unhinged. However, the filmmakers neglect to focus on this dynamic or deepen it; it exists merely to provide a clear antagonist and a supporting character for the protagonist.

      The protagonist, Asia Greaves, portrayed by Zazie Beetz, struggles with guilt over having left her younger sister Maria (played by Myha’la in the present, with minimal plot spoilers) during a violent incident with their abusive father, which escalated as they attempted to escape together. A decade later, she is released from prison and seeks employment, serendipitously discovering the Virgil. Or perhaps she is right where she intends to be, with purpose. In any case, it becomes clear that she not only learned to fight in prison but also knows how to handle a sword, skillfully dodging and rolling while dispatching the wealthy satanists.

      Due to the lack of plot development, the first fight scene is particularly effective: it occurs when Asia settles in for the night and is attacked by satanists wearing hooded black cloaks and pigskin-like masks. The transition from her being hunted and vulnerable to her unleashing mayhem upon the attackers is electrifying, with blood spraying across the walls. This sequence showcases impressive choreography, with the camera dynamic and engaging, capturing the momentum of each move and strike.

      Then, the element of immortality surfaces, revealing Asia's true intentions for being there shortly afterward (which isn't entirely unexpected), leaving the film in a repetitive cycle of her attempting to battle or eliminate wealthy elites who keep coming back like mutated creatures from Resident Evil (a fitting comparison, as the building resembles a cryptic mansion from such games with archaic locks designed to prevent escape).

      Patricia Arquette’s character does not exhibit depth; instead, she continuously barks commands at a small group of subordinates (played by Tom Felton, Heather Graham, and others) to regroup and complete their sacrifice by the night's end. Themes woven throughout, such as each floor of the hotel corresponding to different vices (as one character states, “immortality gets boring”), ultimately fail to yield anything meaningful or disturbingly entertaining.

      Amidst the violence and chaos, the filmmakers also attempt to strike a tone that balances grindhouse exploitation and sibling drama. The outcome is a disastrous mix that often generates unintentional humor, particularly in moments that are not meant to be funny (the reveal of the devil