Single word. Single emphasis. And often enough for this production, a singular plot device. However, as monotonous and repetitive as the visceral action gets, Kill is a worthy entry into the annals of revenge-driven action movies. Relentless with its action, Kill is an unapologetic kick in the head and whose hand-to-hand visuals require no translation. Further, Lakshya, making his full-length debut, proves he has an international career in the making.

 

Kill tells the story of a family engagement party traveling by train. The bride, Tulika (Tanya Maniktala) does not wish to marry the man selected by her father. Instead the roguish army commando Amrit (Lakshya) is the only man she has anime-sized eyes for. The two plan to elope - only to be deterred by dozens of bandits who have compromised the train with the intent to rob everyone on board. Amrit and his comrade-in-arms Viresh (Abhishek Chauhan) do the noble thing and fight back. They are, after all, highly-trained army commandos and the thieves are nothing more than street punks. But the street punks have numbers. And knives.

 

The young leader of the bandits - and opposite number to Amrit - is Fani (Raghav Juyal), and as the heir apparent to the thievery throne, he wants it all. Once Fani starts to, well, kill, Amrit slips off his noble warrior and into a relentless berserker rage, working his way from one end of the train to the other wielding knives, hammers, Zippo lighters, the occasional fire extinguisher, and his own bloody hands to kill, kill, kill.

 

Kill is raw and exciting but does not offer anything painfully new. Written and directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, Kill runs on a cinematic premise that is as straight and uncompromising as a train rail - one man up against insurmountable odds with nothing but his fists. What can elevate a standard genre entry outside of the blatant violence (The Raid: Redemption) is its uniqueness (Snowpiercer), presentation (Monkey Man), and overall choreography (the John Wick series). What Kill might lack in imagination makes up for in style and charisma. Lakshya is magnetic in both muscles and moves. Action directors Se-yeong Oh and Parvez Shaikh bring a distinct physicality to the fights, particularly the close-quarters combat. And hey, opening credits have not appeared this late in a movie since Raising Arizona. 

 

Kill is also a straight-on ridiculous fantasy. One in which there are no transit policemen. Heroes can be repeatedly stabbed, sliced, and shot, yet continue on through sheer adrenaline. And no matter how much a man may cry - and Kill’s alternate title could easily be called Cry - he does not lose his masculinity. However, this fantasy does play by its own rules, and it plays hard.

 

Kill presents non-stop, crazy action with a massive body count. This is a movie about friendship, family, and what anyone would do to protect their love. Even if that means killing. Again. And again. And again.