Product Description

How far would you go to save the one you love? Stellan Skarsgard (Exorcist: The Beginning) stars as Eddie Argo, a veteran cop investigating a string of bizarre serial murders. In each case, the victims were forced to make the unconscionable decision to save themselves or the life of a loved one. Now Eddie and his rookie partner (Melissa George, Alias) must stop the carnage before the killer strikes too close to home. Featuring Selma Blair (Hellboy) in a terrifying performance, The Killing Gene is a "thought-provoking and brutal horror-thriller that keeps the audience on the edge of the seat until the gripping conclusion" (evildread.com).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28072 in DVD
• Brand: WELLSPRING/GENIUS
• Released on: 2008-08-12
• Rating: Unrated
• Formats: Color, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 104 minutes

Amazon.com
A murderer with a bizarre formula and a thirst for revenge is loose in The Killing Gene, a trendy-looking thriller that has a few genuine surprises up its sleeve. In a dark, dank metropolis (shot in Belfast), hard-bitten veteran cop Stellan Skarsgard is paired with a svelte new partner (Melissa George) straight out of a hand-lotion ad. Their by-the-numbers bickering needs to end soon, because the killer is carving weird symbols in the flesh of the victims, and a Seven-like system is behind it all. There's no denying the oppressive atmosphere here, although by contrast Seven included recognizable signs of human life, such as humor and sadness, which this film noticeably lacks. More damagingly to the cop-movie point, the two leads are miscast, with George too deft for her one-note role and the able Skarsgard trying too hard to fit into the mold of the gruff American detective who gargles with rocks. He's an excellent actor, but the accent seems to have distracted him from concentrating on the performance. Selma Blair turns in an interesting turn as a woman connected with a former case, but her dark madness alone isn't enough to lift the film above its disagreeable level. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Convoluted yet engrossing thriller
"The Killing Gene" stars Melissa George as rookie detective Helen O'Mara who is paired with veteran Eddie Argo [Stellan Skarsgard] who is reputed to be a by-the-book cop. They find themselves on the trail of a mysterious killer who seems to target members of a local gang notorious for their acts of violence, each of whom is murdered and carved with "W Delta Z". As they dig deeper, they find that the killings are all related and Helen's in-depth investigation reveals a troubling aspect to the case that is linked to an old case, one which Det Argo would rather not revisit.

This is quite a compelling thriller that makes the viewer think and try to sort out the clues that reveal the motives behind the gruesome murders. There are scenes of torture here that are reminiscent of movies like Saw and Hostel, and disturbingly one involving a kid. The basic premise here has to do with retribution, and this theme is truly convincingly portrayed. The two leads as portrayed by Skarsgard and George are credible in their roles, especially Skarsgard, and finally, there is Selma Blair in one of the most intense roles of her career thus far. Without revealing too much of the plot, I would recommend this movie for those who like compelling thrillers with twists.

What would it take? How much pain can you stand?
Do you love the mother of your unborn child? Your son? Your grandmother? Twin brother? Lover?
Could you ever imagine killing them? How much torture and pain would it take to make you hit the switch that would kill them? You think you're a good person who would gladly sacrifice yourself for your loved ones.Would you? Or would the human sense of self preservation win out, causing you to beg your torturer to kill them in your place?
"The Killing Gene" puts this to the test a la "Saw" and "Seven". Although it's not quite on the same level as those two films,if you liked them you'll enjoy this one.Not overly heavy in blood and gore.Filmed in a gritty,realistic and sometimes brutal crime drama style that is very appealing.A team of cops try to solve a series of serial killings that end up being tied to a past case.Is the killer serving justice in committing these murders? Are the killings warranted?
Filmed in Ireland and America.Big name stars.Selma Blair(Hellboy 1&2,The Fog['05],Cruel Intentions), Stellan Skarsgard(Pirates of the Caribbean,King Arthur,Exorcist:The Beginning)and Melissa George(30 Days of Night,Turistas,Amityville Horror['05],Alias) to name a few.All are fantastic in their roles.A very engaging movie with a major twist ending.

No exit
The premise of Sartre's "No Exit" is that hell is other people. The flip side plays in "The Killing Gene" directed by Tom Shankland. Hell is choosing to kill someone you love in place of yourself.

The premise begins in a research laboratory with animals. Put one wild card animal in a cage with a group of like kind: snake in with monkeys. Would one monkey sacrifice his life for the others? The research says no. The researcher said the monkeys become just genes. Then two lab assistants decide a twist of provocation on people, beginning with the third lab assistant (Selma Blair) and her mother. They savagely rape and torture her until she kills her mother to stop the hideous assault. The brief snippets of these brutal, bloody hours are not for the squeamish.

Then the serial killings begin through twists and turns of who does what to whom. It becomes a grisly story of extreme betrayal of love and trust. Or are we turned into "genes" in the savage grip of shrieking pain, and it becomes every person for him or herself.

The two newly paired detectives, veteran cop Eddie Argo, played by Stellan Skarsgard (who performs a 180 from his recent role in "Mamma Mia") and Melissa George, a terrified rookie in desperate circumstances but who has the guts to do her job and do it well. This is a detective squad taken right from the set of "Shield"--gritty, profane, probably dirty, and weary and numb from the rawness and violence of their daily lives. As Eddie tells his partner, "There are always shades of gray."

The story is truly film-noir with dark, ugly streets, littered, grafittied halls and walls, dirty, stinking settings in most scenes. So add this bizarre form of serial killing for this squad to solve. Nothing is as it seems.

Sometimes too much of a good thing is not so good. The music--very heavy and atmospheric often over powers the dialog, leaving the viewer to figure out the whispery mumblings of some of the words. However, most films that exude dark and ominous settings overdo it: this one does Dark perfectly.

The conclusion, like most of the story, is an unexpected twist and is past "edgy." Surprisingly, this is one scene played with restraint.

If you don't already know the extremes human beings will take for pain avoidance, then "The Killing Gene" will be a provocative film. But even amongst all the bleakness, there will always exist that one human who will not act according to genes.