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The Killing Room is another of those mysterious indie flicks that seems to show up out of nowhere, even though it has a solid cast and a solid storyline… and basically feels more creative than 99% of stuff that’s crapping up shop at the local megaplex. Why I can’t see The Killing Room on the bigscreen instead of talking fucking guinea pigs is beyond me. The Killing Room, if you were to boil it down into one sentence, is basically Cube… but without all the sci-fi elements. As a matter of fact, it feels like a prequel that might show the beginnings of Cube. The film is much more psychological in nature and firmly inhabits the realm of the thriller.

The Killing Room starts off with the ever-creepy Peter Stormare interviewing some random chick for a job. Little does she know that her job is to watch four poor bastards get locked into a room in order to see how long it will take them to break. These four unlucky fucks spend a buttload of time figuring out ways to get out from under their captor’s thumb… but little do they know he has the backing of the government and a couple of wicked twists up his sleeve. It’s a bleak film that makes you wary of ever agreeing to be someone’s lab rat.

Jonathon Liebesman, the director of Darkness Falls and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, shows that he has oodles of talent… and when he’s not making a shitty formulaic slasher movie, he can actually show it off. Liebesman’s film is small but filled with tension. Many people will point to such flicks as Saw and Captivity as clear influences, but the film is much more akin to House of 9 in that it’s violence, its driving force, is all in the mind of the characters. Were the characters to remain calm and cool, there would be no story here… but thankfully Director Liebesman’s machinations come to fruition with excellent results. The true glory of the film is that Liebesman actually manages to keep the film fresh, and just when you think you know where it’s going, he springs one hell of a finish on your ass… kind of like when you’re bangin’ a chick and you’re heading for the vagina, but at the last second you swerve straight towards the dookie shaft.

Liebesman’s efforts are only aided by the fact that he picked out a stellar cast of indie actors to bring the movie to life. These are people who you might recognize, but who a person like me loves to see in movies… actors and actresses chosen for their skill and quirks, rather than for their looks. The cast is led by the aforementioned Peter Stormare (Fargo, Volkswagen Commercials)… he of the crazy accent and even crazier eyes. Stormare’s character is actually one of the least threatening figures in the film, and the calming presence that the normally frantic and terrifying Stormare brings to his character makes it even more terrifying. Chloe “I sucked Vincent Gallo’s dick on film” Sevigny (The Brown Bunny, Kids) also stars in the film as a new indoctrinated agent, chosen for her ruthlessness. It’s up to her to make sure that the experiments continue on without and variation. Shea Whigham (Splinter, Fast & Furious), an up and coming star within the span of one year, turns in another fine indie performance, and you’ll wish he was the star, even though Timothy Hutton (The Dark Half, The Alphabet Killer) does a nice job. The only weak link is Nick Cannon as a functioning retard… or an insane homeless dude… or just a really shy guy. Actually, I can’t tell what’s going on with Cannon’s character, and Cannon doesn’t help any. Maybe he’s been taking acting lessons from Mariah Carey… ouch.

The Killing Room doesn’t get nearly as brutal as I might have liked, but it does have one or two shocking moments. For the most part, the film is about the characters and the testing of their limits, so don’t expect a bloodbath. As a thriller, it’s a solid flick which takes a clichéd premise and infuses a little freshness into it. It has some excellent moments, but nothing that will push the film over the top and into must see range… unless you’re a fan of creepy ass Peter Stormare.

Final Synopsis: This film is worth a watch, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to find it.

Points Lost: -1 for Nick Cannon, -1 for a clichéd premise, -1 for not choosing the right actors for the leads, -1 for some flatness in the character department

Lesson Learned: Never be someone’s lab rat.

Burning Question: What the hell do you think phase 4 is?

The Killing Room
6/10

Tags: 2009, chloe sevigny, clea duvall, horror, horror movie, jonathan liebesman, latest movie reviews, movies like cube, nick cannon, people trapped in a room, Peter Stormare, recent3, shea whigham, thriller, timothy hutton