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A killer premise that never delivered the blow.
I finished Mr. Kill and unfortunately the finale was a letdown. What should have been the culmination of a dark and suspenseful crime thriller never built the intensity I was waiting for. Instead, it was filled with more of the same missteps that bothered me throughout the series.
The premise was actually very good…an artist whose drawings eerily resemble the work of a serial killer, making him a suspect himself. There was so much potential for paranoia, psychological darkness and suspense. But somewhere along the way, I found myself questioning the writing more than questioning who the killer was. And yes…the murderer became rather obvious. Sometimes you just have to follow your gut.
But the finale really tested my suspension of disbelief. You kidnap a police officer and nobody thinks to search him for a gun? After everything these characters supposedly planned? And Praew kidnaps and somehow there seems to be remarkably no consequence for what she did? Earlier we had someone being shot in broad daylight by the river, the gun casually handed to a henchman despite fingerprints…and again I was expected to simply accept it. I can believe corruption. I can believe powerful people manipulating investigations. But the story still has to give me something believable to manipulate.
The performances unfortunately never compensated for the weaknesses in the writing. Dew, Tee and Off had characters that should have given us vulnerability, frustration, manipulation and darkness, but I rarely felt the intensity these roles demanded. Too often I felt I was watching actors playing characters rather than people actually living them. The supporting characters were equally fragmented…much like the storyline itself.
For big fans of these actors, I can understand enjoying Mr. Kill. They certainly have the looks and there are moments of chemistry. But from my own experience watching darker crime and psychological dramas, good looks can only take me so far. I needed to feel danger. I needed that uncomfortable darkness that makes you suspicious of everyone and keeps you glued to the screen. Most importantly, by the finale I needed suspense…and I never got it.
A thriller can mislead me, surprise me and even make me believe the unbelievable…but first it has to create a world believable enough for me to get lost in it.
GMMTV…please do better. You had a killer premise. Unfortunately, Mr. Kill never quite delivered the killing blow.
The premise was actually very good…an artist whose drawings eerily resemble the work of a serial killer, making him a suspect himself. There was so much potential for paranoia, psychological darkness and suspense. But somewhere along the way, I found myself questioning the writing more than questioning who the killer was. And yes…the murderer became rather obvious. Sometimes you just have to follow your gut.
But the finale really tested my suspension of disbelief. You kidnap a police officer and nobody thinks to search him for a gun? After everything these characters supposedly planned? And Praew kidnaps and somehow there seems to be remarkably no consequence for what she did? Earlier we had someone being shot in broad daylight by the river, the gun casually handed to a henchman despite fingerprints…and again I was expected to simply accept it. I can believe corruption. I can believe powerful people manipulating investigations. But the story still has to give me something believable to manipulate.
The performances unfortunately never compensated for the weaknesses in the writing. Dew, Tee and Off had characters that should have given us vulnerability, frustration, manipulation and darkness, but I rarely felt the intensity these roles demanded. Too often I felt I was watching actors playing characters rather than people actually living them. The supporting characters were equally fragmented…much like the storyline itself.
For big fans of these actors, I can understand enjoying Mr. Kill. They certainly have the looks and there are moments of chemistry. But from my own experience watching darker crime and psychological dramas, good looks can only take me so far. I needed to feel danger. I needed that uncomfortable darkness that makes you suspicious of everyone and keeps you glued to the screen. Most importantly, by the finale I needed suspense…and I never got it.
A thriller can mislead me, surprise me and even make me believe the unbelievable…but first it has to create a world believable enough for me to get lost in it.
GMMTV…please do better. You had a killer premise. Unfortunately, Mr. Kill never quite delivered the killing blow.
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