Film Review: Time to Kill (2014)

SYNOPSIS:

 

For Sara there’s no time to waste, no time to lose, there’s only….Time to Kill…

REVIEW:

I’m sure neither of them will remember this but the first time I became aware of indie director Brian Williams and scream queen on the rise Ellie Church was at a horror convention in Cincinnati two or three years ago. I was wearing a Troma shirt and they both stopped me to admire it. On the back of the shirt it says, “I made the Troma Team” and Ellie asked if I worked for them. Brian just wanted to know if I had “serviced” Lloyd in order to make the team. Little did I know that a couple of years later they would end up being two of the most interesting personalities on the rise in the indie horror scene. Their debut feature, TIME TO KILL is an ode to the grindhouse sexploitation classics of yester-year and it’s one hell of a sexy, thrilling, experience.

Sara (Ellie Church) learns from her doctor she only has twenty four hours to live. This doesn’t leave her much time but she has plans for her last moments on Earth. She has a plan that will take her from home to a strip club where she has a score to settle with the owner Jason (Jason Hignite). This isn’t just any score, with a seemingly innocent girl along for the ride, Sara’s score involves a small arsenal of weapons and she’s leaving a mess of bodies in her wake. Nothing can stop this woman from getting revenge and the only time she has is the present, it’s her TIME TO KILL.

Indiana seems to be the “go to” state when it comes to independently produced horror films over the last few years. With movies like FOUND., PSYCHO STREET, and now TIME TO KILL, there seems to be an abundance of interesting talent with projects screaming to be discovered. TIME TO KILL really feels authentic when it comes to capturing the essence of what a grindhouse picture should be. Brian Williams painstakingly took the time to do it right. Every edit, chop, flare, or glitch adds to the experience. Aside from editing, Williams wrote, directed, served as the cinematographer, and much more. He knew to keep the story simple while never letting the audience grow bored. In fact, there’s so much interesting stuff onscreen, you may not want to take your eyes from it.

So what exactly is so interesting on the screen, you might ask? I’m going to break it down a little for you. First off, there’s a Debbie Rochon cameo right out of the gate and who doesn’t love Rochon? Secondly, there’s loads of bloodshed and severed limbs. They’re an essential ingredient and plenty of it. Third, the movie has a killer soundtrack. It features music from El Creepo, Speedball Jr., Peluqueria Hernandez, Cool Mutants, and others. It’s a crazy, rock, funk, and punk hybrid that kicks your ass. And last but most certainly not least, breasts and bums aplenty. And just when you think there isn’t enough, there’s more, more, and more. These are gorgeous gals baring it all for us to see. So I’ll stop right there because….

……. As gorgeous as she may be, Ellie Church isn’t just another pretty face. She carries the picture like a pro. She has one of the most important things an actor should have, a real presence. She’s interesting, unique, aggressive, and a real treat to watch in this film. I’m not trying to undersell the rest of the cast either. All of them are relative newcomers (excluding Debbie Rochon of course), actors like Jason Hignite, Charlie Moon, Christine Carollo, A.C. McCray, Bob East, to name a few all have memorable moments.

I’m giving a huge round of applause to Brian, Ellie, and Co. for giving us a fun, exciting, and lean throwback to the past. TIME TO KILL effortlessly takes us back to a period in film history many frown upon but us true geeks relish with adoration. Thanks for the sleazy good time, sir. Now I’ll be anxious to see where they go from here. ***** (out of 5)