John
Travolta stars as a foreigner wandering in the woods near Robert De Niro’s
cabin. De Niro is an ex-soldier who was
stationed in Serbia during the war. When
his car breaks down, Travolta fixes it, and De Niro dutifully lets him spend
the night. He soon discovers it was all
a ruse, and the man isn’t who he claims to be.
This
sets up an extended First Blood meets Most Dangerous Game face-off between the
two. Travolta hunts De Niro in the woods,
with each man only armed with a bow and arrow.
Throughout the next few days, the tables will be turned again and again,
with each man managing to briefly get the upper hand on his tormentor.
The
cat and mouse games between the two men are well done for the most part. It’s just that the tables get turned so often
that it becomes a little implausible after a while. Even when the action is kind of chasing its
tail, the fireworks between the two performers are genuine.
Directed
by Mark Steven (Ghost Rider) Johnson, Killing Season sometimes veer into the
realm of torture porn. (There’s a lemonade
waterboarding sequence.) However, these
moments help give the picture a memorably nasty streak. We also get one arrow wound that’s as grisly
as anything in a Jason movie.
Despite
its excesses, Killing Season is almost always effective. It’s an interesting project. You wouldn’t naturally think an action drama
like this would be an ideal platform to bring together two legends of the
silver screen, but it somehow works.
De
Niro is particularly great. There’s a phone
conversation with his son (Milo Ventimiglia) in which the things that aren’t
being said are just as important as the few words he speaks. He also handles himself capably enough in the
action-centric second half of the film.
Travolta
is saddled with a terrible haircut, a beard and no moustache, and a Boris
Badenov accent. Due to his incredible
skill, he’s able to make the character work.
It could’ve just been a Nic Cage style performance art piece, but Travolta’s
flamboyant exuberance is a nice counterbalance to De Niro’s quiet
introspectiveness. The scene where they
get drunk together and listen to Johnny Cash is worth the price of
admission alone.
Killing
Season is also noteworthy for having the same exact ending as Creed 2. It even features the same actor, Milo
Ventimiglia! Except instead acting
alongside Sylvester Stallone, it’s Robert De Niro.
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