Starring
Taran Killam, Bobby Moynihan, Hannah Simone, Peter Kelamis, Aaron
Yoo, Paul Brittain, Amir Talai, Ryan Gaul, Allison Tolman, Cobie
Smulders, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Directed by Taran Killam. (2017, 93
min).
Don't
be fooled by the cover. This
is not another Arnold Schwarzenegger action-fest. In fact, he doesn't
even appear onscreen until the final 15 minutes.
Nor
is it even an action movie. Instead, Killing Gunther is a
mockumentary written, directed-by and starring Saturday Night Live
alum Taran Killam. Aiming for a vibe similar to a Christopher Guest
film, Killam plays Blake, a cocky killer-for-hire who targets the top-dog in the assassination business, Gunther (Schwarzenegger), for bragging rights. He recruits a goofy assortment of
colleagues and hires a film crew to document everything for
posterity. Unfortunately for them, Gunther is much better at his job
than even they assumed.
 |
| "I'm not unloading the dishwasher...you are." |
Some
of this is funny and most of the characters are amusing (if a bit
over the top). Blake himself is probably the most well-rounded
character with an interesting backstory (his wife, also a
former assassin, left him for Gunther). However, a little of this
goes a long way. Unlike Christopher Guest's best films, which manage
to sustain their premises for the entire running time, Killing
Gunther eventually feels like one of those Saturday Night Live
sketches that doesn't know when to quit. What starts off as humorous
- occasionally laugh-out-loud funny - eventually grows repetitive and
tiresome until Arnold finally shows up to give the film a much-needed
shot in the arm.
While
it might have been more effective as a short, Killing Gunther
is sporadically funny enough to make it worth sitting through and has a chuckleworthy twist ending. However, I do think
it was a mistake to market the thing as a Schwarzenegger vehicle.
Even though I totally understand why, wouldn't it have been
great if he were given no billing at all, completely catching viewers
off guard? Just sayin'.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
DELETED
SCENES
BLOOPER
REEL
DIGITAL
COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD...LIKE CAT CHOW
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