20131211: Action Review--Killing Season

Killing Season

1. Fundamentals, reception.
1. Belgian live action feature length film, 2013, rated R, 90 minutes, action.  Spoken word is in English and Serbian.  Subtitles in English.  Aspect: 2.35
2. IMDB: 5.2/10.0 from 15,319 audience ratings.
3. Rotten Tomatoes: 10% on the meter; 29% liked it from 4,212 audience ratings.
4. Netflix: 3.6/5.0 from 350,319 audience ratings.
5. Directed by: Mark Steven Johnson.
6. Starring: Robert DeNiro as Benjamin Ford, John Travolta as Emil Kovac, Milo Ventimiglio as Chris Ford, Elizabeth Olin as Sarah Ford.


2. Setup and Plot
1. The move opens in sepia depicting events in Bosnia circa 1992 to 1995, when NATO forces intervened.  NATO forces are shown executing Serbian prisoners; all but one, that is.  Flash forward to 2013 (release year); Emil buys some confidential files about NATO officers in 1995, including Colonel Benjamin Ford.  We switch geography to the Appalachian mountains in the USA.


2. Ben's having pain from an old war wound.  He's having emotional problems with dealing with his son, who wants to meet for a family event.  Ben goes for a drive; his vehicle gives out.  Emil and Ben meet then; this is clearly no coincidence.  Emil helps Ben get the vehicle running again.  When it starts raining heavily, Ben invites Emil to his cabin to wait it out in a dry, warm place.  They get to know each other over hunting stories and discussions of weapons.  Ben admits that he has not killed anything since Bosnia; the hunting trophies in his lodge came with the place.  Emil talks Ben into going hunting using bows and arrows.


3. Emil tries to get Ben to kill a deer, but Ben just does not have the heart for it.  Then Emil sets about telling Ben bit by bit about how he knew Ben was in Bosnia, how Emil was in the same place at the same time.  He shoots Ben in the leg.  Then Emil starts to continue the discussion after he's strung up Ben by the wounded leg.  Emil was the one that Ben shot in the back, and left alive.  That is what Emil is upset about.  Amazingly, Ben gets free, fights Emil for a bit, then escapes into a river.


4. The discussion of the horrors of war, Ben's issues, and Emil's issues goes on, and on. Ben's son and daughter-in-law come up to visit.  Emil promises not to kill them if Ben agrees to continue.  More issues come out; Emil did things that were despicable.  The two combatants do considerable physical damage to each other.


5. Will Ben survive?  Will Emil survive?  Will Emil drag Ben's family into this?


3. Conclusions
1. One line summary: Two survivors of the Bosnian conflict fight it out deep in the woods.
2. Four stars of five.


4. Scores
1. Cinematography: 10/10 No problems; beautifully done.


2. Sound: 10/10 No problems.


3. Acting: 10/10 The two principal actors gave fine performances.


4. Screenplay: 7/10 The reversals of fortune were interesting to a point, but were not quite satisfying.  I would think that Colonel Ford, at least, would have terminated the action as soon as possible, rather than allow the 'game' to keep going.  Still, the ending was rather good.