KILL YOUR FRIENDS Review

Music is an ever-changing business and that business is fickle. Few lines of work are more cut-throat than the music biz and Hollywood loves to accentuate that about it’s sister industry. It’s a fascinating, frustrating free-for-all watching the players and heavy hitters crossing lines and breaking rules, all vying for the next big hit song or hot band. Ethics, morals, loyalty… these have no place here.

KILL YOUR FRIENDS is the newest film to examine these escapades, written by and based on John Niven’s novel, the film is directed by Own Harris, who cut his teeth making episodes of edgy television shows like Misfits and Black Mirror. Harris definitely brings an edgy style to the film, one that is both unique and influenced by modern masters, undoubtedly including Danny Boyle among a few others.

Nicholas Hoult (MAD MAX: FURY ROAD) plays Stelfox, an ambitious English A&R man trying to make his name during the height of the Britpop craze. From the get-go, it’s clear that KILL YOUR FRIENDS will not be the typical ride for American audiences. In fact, it’s much more typical of modern British cinema, heavily dependent on a slick, star-studded soundtrack and a keen sense of how to keep the camera and everything housed within it’s frame constantly on the move. For some this may prove too much, but for others it’s refreshing without being excessively nauseating.

KILL YOUR FRIENDS begins with Stelfox setting us up, detailing precisely how the film will make us simultaneously love and hate him simply for doing whatever it takes to succeed. He and his husky colleague are boozing and coking and living it up as they discuss thinly developed plans to land the next big thing. The true plot runs parallel to this as Stelfox orchestrates a betrayal and possible strategic takeover. Harris employs a subtle touch of fourth-wall breaking and narration from his filmmaking toolbox to help give the audience the sense they’re in on his master plan.

As the story progresses, Stelfox finds his luck ebb and wane on the status of his record label’s fluctuating staff, the interference of a starry-eyed detective and an assistant/secretary that’s even more cunningly ambitious than himself. KILL YOUR FRIENDS pits colleagues against each other in a battle royale for unsigned acts, where backstabbing is standard operating procedure and nothing matters but scoring the money maker. This is partially why we root for Stelfox, not because he’s a good guy, but because he’s a selfish, greedy prick, but he owns and embraces it unapologetically amidst a world full of others just as bad or worse. He does what he has to do and does it with a smile.

KILL YOUR FRIENDS is a colorful, vibrant low-grade ecstasy trip into the ugly world of the music business. It captures us visually and then maintains our high with the most primal of additions,,, the need to see others’ fail. Like tabloid journalism, we know it’s garbage but we must have more. In an intriguing, subdued blend of TRAINSPOTTING and AMERICAN PSYCHO, Harris leads us down an a-moralistic rabbit-hole where anything is fair game as long as something is on the table.

The film also stars Ed Skrein and Rosanna Arquette, in a cast perfectly in the with the dark comedy and violent tone of the story. KILL YOUR FRIENDS features a stellar soundtrack, on which the film relies on for more than just background music. Harris often utilizes the carefully-selected songs to emphasize or illustrate key moments in the film. Look for selections from Blur, Radiohead, Oasis and more in what may be one of the best movie soundtracks in years, at a time when movie tend to be more focused on original scores than utilizing popular songs.

KILL YOUR FRIENDS is a frenetic, mildly neurotic experience. It’s a black comedy, a murder mystery, and a work place thriller. Hoult is perfectly charismatic for his role and keeps the audience glued to his each and every move as he plots his way into what he hopes is a budding career as a music executive.

KILL YOUR FRIENDS Opens on April 1st, 2016

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars