The Kill Hole
| The Kill Hole | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mischa S. Webley |
| Written by | Mischa S. Webley |
| Produced by | Jonny Gillette Zach Hagen |
| Starring | Chadwick Boseman Tory Kittles Dennis Adkins Victoria Blake Ted Rooney Peter Greene Billy Zane |
| Cinematography | Eric Billman |
| Edited by | James Westby |
| Music by | Jason Wells |
Production company | Alternate Ending Studios |
| Distributed by | Alternate Ending Studios |
Release dates |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Kill Hole is a 2012 American action thriller war film written and directed by Mischa S. Webley and starring Chadwick Boseman, Tory Kittles, Dennis Adkins, Victoria Blake, Ted Rooney with Peter Greene and Billy Zane.[1] It is Webley's directorial debut.[2][3]
Plot
[edit]The shadow of war follows a troubled Iraq War vet as he is forced to pursue one of his own into the Pacific Northwest wilderness to finally confront a war crime that has haunted them both. Lt. Samuel Drake is a troubled vet plagued by his actions while deployed in Iraq. Recently discharged, he is trying to piece his life back together while he works as a cab driver and lives in a rundown motel room. He also attends counseling sessions led by Marshall to help cope with the horrors of his past. While on this path to a fresh start, Drake's fragile new life is shattered when two executives, who represent a private military contractor, present a new mission, one with no option to refuse; track down and kill Sgt. Devin Carter, an AWOL Marine Corps. sniper who knows the truth about Drake's past and who himself is on a mission to target and kill members of the mercenary firm. A gripping, lyrical meditation on war and the scars it leaves on those who fight, The Kill Hole is a story of one man who is forced to face his violent past, and the uneasy bond he forms with the mysterious assassin he must confront in his quest for redemption.
Cast
[edit]- Chadwick Boseman as Lt. Samuel Drake
- Tory Kittles as Sgt. Devon Carter
- Dennis Adkins as Hull
- Victoria Blake as Carol
- Ted Rooney as James
- Peter Greene as Peter Krebbs
- Billy Zane as Marshall
Reception
[edit]The film has a 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[4]
Dennis Harvey of Variety gave the film a negative review, calling it "a middling drama that tries to combine elements of Rambo with serious treatment of soldiers’ post-traumatic stress disorder and vague political commentary.”[1]
Omer M. Mozaffar of RogerEbert.com gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Its director and producer Zach Hagen is congenial and it is a very good movie. It keeps leading you in one direction, in order to sneak up on you in the other."[2]
Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a negative review and wrote, "Made up of four or five story ideas all crammed together, the film maintains a stop-start momentum at best that keeps it from ever hitting a solid stride."[5]
Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times gave the film a negative review, calling it, "an unconvincing, sometimes unfathomable tale about a brooding veteran (Chadwick Boseman) who was involved in a vaguely defined atrocity while fighting overseas."[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Harvey, Dennis (14 March 2013). "Film Review: 'The Kill Hole'". Variety. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ a b Mozaffar, Omer M. (23 December 2012). "The Kill Hole: An adventure about remorse". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ Gardner, Chris (September 3, 2020). "'The Kill Hole' Director Recalls Casting Chadwick Boseman Before His Meteoric Rise". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ "The Kill Hole". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ Olsen, Mark (March 21, 2013). "Review: 'Kill Hole' a muddled thriller about war veterans". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (March 14, 2013). "A Troubled Veteran Meets a New Enemy". The New York Times. Retrieved July 6, 2023.