Kill Mode

Everywhere i switch over on our TV, on almost every channel ( except our movie channels ) you hear about the Corona virus. It is frightening how many people who have become infected so far, and how many people have died. But there is also news about how many who are actually well now, who have survived. I have a feeling we will hear about new infected soon, and that they will do everything they can to make the virus stop spreading, and help infected people as well. When it comes to virus ( or diseases ) in films, i could probably mention some titles that most movie lovers have seen. But there is one film that you don´t really hear many talking about, that combines science fiction with a disease, action scenes and martial art scenes combined. If you are a B movie fan i am pretty sure you know what film i have in mind, but let me tell you anyway. It is the 1989 sci fi action film Cyborg, with legendary actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. Cyborg tells the story of mercenary Gibson ( played by Van Damme ) who tries to help a cyborg to get a cure to the plague, that has killed millions of lives. Directed by Albert Pyun, this is a true 80´s classic, and has one of the greatest bad guys ever in a B movie known as Fender ( actor Vincent Klyn did an acting performance you will never forget ). Cyborg is a film that will live on for many generations ahead, for the joyful fighting scenes, the fun dialogue and the way they managed to combine the apocalypse with costume designs that fits better than you would expect. Buy the Blu Ray release of Cyborg from Shout! Factory, and get some nice special features included ( that can only be found in this release ). B movies that take on the subject of the apocalypse can be found every year, in many different combinations. 2 years ago i came across a film from the Netherlands known as Molly. This film felt inspired by Mad Max and other apocalypse films, and turned out to be a cheesy fun B movie moment. And here we are with a sequel, that brings back some of the characters from the first film. Is this an even better film than Molly, or is Kill Mode a disaster from start to finish ?

It is the year 2027, eight years after the first outbreak of The Sickness, a highly contagious, adaptive and lethal virus. The world is now run by pharmaceutical corporation called The Company, which distributes a treatment for the virus but charges a high price for it, putting the majority of people in a state of poverty and dependence. David Oscar ( Dave Mantel ) has had enough fighting. He has lost all hope and hides in a small illegal clinic. David is a former member of The Flux, a rebel movement depicted as a terrorist organisation in the media. The Flux believes The Company itself is responsible for The Sickness. After years of hiding from his past, David is found by members of The Flux, who pursuade him to take part in an important mission that they will lead to the cure for The Sickness. What they discover, when they break into a secure facility of The Company, is not the cure to The Sickness, but a young girl named Molly ( Julia Batelaan ) She have been held captive and subjected to The Company experiments...

If you ever wondered if you would see a film like American Cyborg again ( the 1993 cult classic ) then i got some good news for you. Kill Mode is like a throwback to the glory days of VHS violence, with science fiction and B action combined. And trust me, this film is filled with action. You get plenty of gun battles, and some future inspired themes as well. When ever i see a film like Kill Mode being released in these days, i feel joy. Because if there is one thing we need in times like these, with the coronavirus causing trouble, we need a film like this to make us entertained. Even if the acting is cheesy, and the special effects may not be very impressive, there are other reasons why you should see Kill Mode. It is not often you see a Dutch made sci fi action films ( from the Netherlands, where i have visited, wonderful country ), and i feel that this is something we should show appreciation for. Not that it matters what country a film is made in, but you don´t see that many films made in this genre from Netherlands, so this is one of the reasons why Kill Mode is a positive surprise. The other thing i appreciate with this film is that there is a lot of violence. In a film like Kill Mode, the main story needs to have action scenes included to work properly. And this is actually the strength of Kill Mode, that they do a lot of action scenes instead of focusing too much on the plot. When it comes to characters i actually have one favourite performance in this film, and that is from actress Yasmin Blake who plays the bad ass character Alex. A tough female character, not afraid in going into battles with guns, exactly what a film like this needs. Some of the acting from other characters are not as strong, so don´t expect any surprises. One negative detail about Kill Mode is the shaky camera work, that can be a bit annoying at times. Director Thijs Meuwese ( who was one of the directors on the sci fi action film Molly ) have made a film that takes us back to the VHS stores. He knows what kind of audience he made this film for, and that becomes clear while you watch this film. If you appreciated Molly, then you should check out Kill Mode as well. You see sometimes, B movies is the answer to all  of our problems.

Rating: DDD