Cult Killer (2024)

2 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Time of Survival

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

This low-budget crime drama is far from a throwaway "B" movie; never shying away from dark, brutal, but altogether human material, it's unexpectedly rich in character and intelligent in execution.

Cassie Holt (Alice Eve) is a former victim of abuse and an abuser of alcohol who meets private eye Mikeal Tallini (Antonio Banderas) during a scuffle in a pub. He offers her a job as an assistant, begins to train her, and helps her stop drinking. One day Mikeal is brutally murdered.

Cassie teams up with police officer Rory McMahon (Paul Reid) to find the killer, who turns out to be Jamie Douglas (Shelley Hennig). Jamie is out for revenge against an evil group of kidnappers who lock up children and abuse and torture them for enjoyment. Jamie herself was one of them, and she recognizes in Cassie a kindred spirit. Cassie believes that things can be done the right way, but it may be too late to stop Jamie.

Coming from director Jon Keeyes — whose movies (like Rogue Hostage or Code Name Banshee) are usually throwaways — Cult Killer is most unexpected. (It's the feature debut by screenwriter Charles Burnley.) It gives us characters with complete backstories and in-depth motivations, and the actors are blessed with plenty to work with.

With Cassie Holt, Alice Eve gives a measured, thoughtful performance, perhaps the finest work of her career. Her scenes with Banderas — layered in as well-placed flashbacks throughout — feel utterly organic, as if they were merely conversing rather than acting. The plot moves smoothly, confidently, and even though the sadistic villains are almost too evil to be real, the movie makes them feel real. (We get a scene of them walking around town, trying to decide what to do for dinner.)

The third act, last-minute, race-against-time climax unfortunately smacks of cut corners, but it saves itself with a gratifying ending. Above all, while Cult Killer gets quite dark, it manages to view victims of abuse with tenderness and empathy, and it's a surprisingly effective work.