Kill Your Friends, 2015.
Directed By Owen Harris.
Starring Nicholas Hoult, James Corden, Craig Roberts, Georgia King, Jim Piddock and Joseph Mawle.
SYNOPSIS:
An A&R executive for a big record label goes on a killing spree so he can sign the next chart-topping hit makers.
Based on John Niven’s novel of the same name, Kill Your Friends is to the ‘90s music industry what American Psycho was to ‘80s investment banking: a drug-fuelled satire with a bloody mean streak and an abundance of gallows humour– and some really banging tunes which serve as a time capsule to days gone by.
The music industry can be cutthroat, and no one understands this more than Steven Selfox (Nicholas Hoult), an A&R executive so focused on climbing the corporate ladder, he doesn’t hesitate in leaving a few bodies in his wake if it means eliminating his competition. With a record label desperately in need of some hits, a clientele of signed artists rinsing them for all they’re worth, and the hottest new band on the scene the cause of a bidding war, it’s make or break for everyone involved. And with Stelfox’s career going down the toilet faster than the glory days of Britpop, he’s forced to resort to some extreme measures to survive.
The parallels between Kill Your Friends and American Psycho are so strong they’re practically siblings. For a start, both central antagonists embody each other’s traits almost identically, albeit with slightly different levels of mania. For Patrick Bateman killing was a compulsion; for Stelfox it’s just a means to an end – but other than that, the only thing that separates them is their nationalities. Characteristically, both share a deep-seated hatred of humanity and a fondness for narcotics, and they do so with style. Then again, Bateman genuinely loved music, whereas Stelfox seems to resent all of it. Both films are absolutely scathing attacks on their respective professions; both include brilliant soundtracks that encapsulate eras where music was better. Both contain no characters you could define as likeable, with everyone being as sabotaging as the next, yet just a rung below Stelfox as he does go a step further by murdering. And both are an odyssey of sex, drugs, violence and debauchery.
That being said, Kill Your Friends doesn’t quite have the same level of impact as American Psycho; nor does it enforce the satire quite as effectively as Niven’s novel. To compare them – which is inevitable given their similarities – this is like the little brother trying to emulate its cooler, older sibling. Although, this little sibling certainly gives it a good effort with entertaining results throughout. In the novel, however, Stelfox and Bateman were practically equals.
This isn’t a knock on Kill Your Friends though. As a black comedy, it’s one of the better efforts to come along in quite some time. Hoult is an excellent lead, and you get the impression that it’s only a matter of time before he finds that role that wins him the universal plaudits he deserves. Much like James McAvoy in Filth, he’s not the easiest lead character to spend nearly two hours with, so if you can’t enjoy spending time in a world where moral compasses are about as non-existent as evidence of God, you should probably give this one a miss. It’s a very nihilistic film and it’s up to you to determine whether you can appreciate this type of humour and message.
You don’t have to like anyone in Kill Your Friends to enjoy it, but there is some disturbing pleasure to be found in watching their lives spiral out of control. Enter this one with caution, but if you’re a fan of any of the aforementioned films, you’ll no doubt find this one to be a welcome addition to the demented little family. It’s as smart as it is savage, and leaves nothing to the imagination.
Buy Kill Your Friends on AMAZON UK or AMAZON US
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★/Movie: ★ ★ ★
Kieran Fisher
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published April 4, 2016. Updated January 18, 2020.
