# Kill Me Three Times - Blu-ray Review



## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

0[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=48721[/img] 
*Title: Kill Me Three Times* 

*Movie:* :2.5stars:
*Video:* :4.5stars:
*Audio:* :4stars: 
*Extras:* :3stars: 

*HTS Overall Score:*76




[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=48729[/img]*Summary*
Simon Pegg once was the official poster boy of the nerd community with British flicks teaming him up with chubby Nick Frost for a hysterically nerdy good time. “Sean of the Dead”, “Hot Fuzz”, “Paul” and now with J.J.’s version of the “Star Trek” universe, he has pretty much cemented his nerd boy status. Lately he’s been having some qualms about that type casting and has really wanted to push his range, ergo trying out gritty and stylistic films like “Kill Me Three Times”. His addition feels more like an extended cameo here, as he’s not as main of a character as the poster would have you believe, but his sardonic wit and ever so slightly nerdy humor help moisten this otherwise dry crime thriller.

It seems that people in Australia have a lot of time on their hands. In between doing small bits of work they have time to mess around on their husbands, hire hitmen to kill said wives, run insurance scams and try to get out from under extortionist cops, all while seeming to just sit around and twiddle their thumbs. “Kill Me Three Times” is narrated by our very own Simon Pegg, as Charlie Wolfe, a sardonic hitman who is recreating the instances leading up to his death. Told in three distinct acts, all three tales are actually ONE story, just told from a different character’s point of view in each one. We start out the film with Alice Taylor being murdered by a milquetoast dentist named Nathan Webb (Sullivan Stapleton) and his femme fatale wife, Lucy (Teresa Palmer) who are running an insurance scam. The second act of the film opens up more clues to what’s going on as we realize that Alice was actually running around on her abusive husband, Jack (Callan Mulvey) with a hunky mechanic (Luke Hemsworth, older brother of Liam and Thor…errrr…Chris Hemsworth) and that Jack has put a hit out on his wife through his friend and hitman Charlie Wolfe. Watching the deed go down, Charlie thinks he’s got the $50,000 contract in the bag without having to lift a finger, but things get sticky when Alice ends up surviving the attempted murder.

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=48737[/img]“Kill Me Three Times” is a bit of a convoluted mess at times. It tries a bit too hard to feel like Quentin Tarantino, with moments of brutal, point blank violence to shock the viewer and then tons of verbose dialog that wants to feel smarter than it is. After watching the movie I understand why they wanted to put Simon Pegg in the movie. Without his quirky humor, the movie would have been drier than week old toast, as we have intertwining tales of Sex, murder, insurance fraud, Ozzie cops extorting said insurance thieves and femme fatale’s twisting the situation to their need. That seems all good and dandy, but director and actors seem to take their roles just a BIT too seriously and Simon Pegg adds some much needed lightness to the otherwise bleak and unrelenting tone of the script. 

The filming style seems to try and strike a weird compromise between flat and dull and visually stunning. The camerawork seems to capture close in shots that seem uninspired and claustrophobic at times, but then will widen the lens out and take in the gorgeous Australian scenery the next, and then switch back once more. I’m not sure whether it was intentional or not, but the switch between the tight and claustrophobic shots, and the wide angle scope shots creates a nice foil for each other as well as setting the jarring and constantly switching tone of the film as it jumps from each of the three interconnected tales. Johnny Klimeck’s score tends to rest on a one note guitar riff that plays throughout the entire movie, transcending what happens in the film, and almost operating independently. This is both a blessing and a curse as it sounds surreal and detached, which adds some mystique to the tone, but also ends up sounding monotonous by the end of the 90 minute runtime. 



*Rating:* 

Rated R for bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity



*Video* :4.5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=48745[/img]The 2.40:1 AVC encoded Blu-ray by Magnolia Pictures is nothing short of beautiful, with tight, finely detailed close ups, and wide angle shots that soak up the beauty of the Australian landscape. Colors are bright and very well saturated, with plenty of red, orange and green primary colors intermingled with the earthy and white sandy colors of the country to temper those bright and shiny colors. Contrast and skin tones are both natural and pleasing, with an ever so slight reddish push to the contrasts and black levels are incredibly well defined and inky. Detail, both long and closeup, look impeccable, with every fiber showing on Charlie’s black suit, and every line and scar on Jack’s nasty face perfectly viewable. Easily the best part of the whole disc, the video is a very very fine job by Magnolia. 







*Audio* :4stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=48753[/img]The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is more than great for its intended purpose, and while it is naturally a bit front heavy, has some very solid performance in the sub and surround channels as well. Even though there is plenty of action, the majority of the time is spent with the dialog, listening to the three groups of people as they plot and plan their nefarious deeds, punctuated by short bursts of action where the surround and sub channels blow up with visceral intensity. The LFE channel adds some nice low end and is consistent throughout the film, but in those moments of higher action it really adds some oomph to the surrounding action. Surround channels are well done, with soft ambient noises coming through with pinpoint clarity and direction, complimented with moments of cacophony and chaos that really bring them to life. The front soundstage carries a majority of the work and while the center is where the dialog is mainly kept to, the mains have some nice directional queues and panning effects that keeps the sound stage rather lively. 




*Extras* :3stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=48761[/img]
• Filmmaker Commentaries
• Deleted Scene
• Making of "Kill Me Three Times"
• Q&A 
• Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery
• Poster Gallery
• Storyboards






*Overall:* :3.5stars:

Simon Pegg obviously wants to rise above the nerdy comic stuff that he’s stuck with to date, but “Kill Me Three Times” is a bit of a rough take off for the clever comedian. It has its moments, and I chuckled quite a bit at Simon Pegg’s performance, but in the end it can’t seem to rise above its Tarantino wannabe roots, leaving the viewer with a slightly cold taste in their mouth. The disc itself is quite pleasing, with amazing video and very good audio, and they even deigned to add in some pretty substantial extras to round out the package. I can’t poo poo the movie as it was certainly entertaining in parts, but I can’t blindly recommend it either, as there are too many flaws to ignore, so I have to recommend that it be a rental first. 

*Additional Information:*

Starring: Simon Pegg, Luke Hemsworth, Alice Braga
Directed by: Kriv Stenders
Written by: James McFarland
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 AVC
Audio:English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Studio: Magnolia Pictures
Rated: R
Runtime: 90 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: July 7th 2015




*Buy Kill Me Three Times On Blu-ray at Amazon*


*Recommendation: Rental​*








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