WΔZ

WΔZ
British theatrical release poster
Directed by Tom Shankland
Produced by Allan Niblo
James Richardson
Screenplay by Clive Bradley
Starring
Music by David Julyan
Cinematography Morten Søborg
Edited by Tim Murrell
Distributed by Vertigo Films
Release date
  • 30 July 2007 (2007-07-30) (Stuttgart Fantasy Filmfest Nights)
  • 22 February 2008 (2008-02-22) (United Kingdom)
Running time
 104 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Budget £5 million
($10 million)

WΔZ (pronounced double-u delta zed) is a 2007 crime horror thriller film starring Stellan Skarsgård, Melissa George, Selma Blair and Tom Hardy. The film was released in the United States with the title The Killing Gene.[1]

Plot

There is something horribly wrong with the bodies found in the dark city streets. Some are mutilated while others have the Price equation (wΔz = Cov (w,z) = βwzVz) carved into their flesh. Detective Eddie Argo and his new partner Helen Westcott unearth the meaning of the odd equation and realise each victim is being offered a gruesome choice: kill your loved ones, or be killed. Before long it becomes clear that the perpetrator has suffered a similar fate and is now coping by seeking a way to solve this philosophical dilemma.

Cast

  • Stellan Skarsgård as Eddie Argo
  • Melissa George as Helen Westcott
  • Selma Blair as Jean Lerner
  • Tom Hardy as Pierre Jackson
  • Ashley Walters as Daniel Leone
  • Paul Kaye as Gelb
  • Michael Wildman as O'Hare
  • Sally Hawkins as Elly Carpenter
  • Michael Liebman as Wesley Smith
  • John Sharian as Jack Corelli
  • Alibe Parsons as Miss Allaway
  • Sean Brian Chipango as Jamal Osman / Khaled Osman
  • Barbara Adair as Alice Jackson
  • Lauren Hood as Sharon Williams
  • Sheila Kerr as Alison Lerner
  • Joshua O'Gorman as Dominic Carpenter
  • Robert Phillips as Captain Maclean
  • Marcus Valentine as Hassan Harbi
  • Peter Ballance as Trucker
  • Igor Smiljevic as SWAT leader
  • Larry Cowan as Junkie
  • Laurence Doherty as NY Detective
  • Roy McManus as Paramedic

Release and reception

The film received generally positive reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 71% based on reviews from 14 critics.[2]

CHUD.com said of the film, "Director Tom Shankland paints a grimy portrait that fits well with the Clive Bradley script. It is a great debut for both filmmakers who created a movie that works on almost every level."[3]

DVD Talk wrote, "But let's not kid ourselves: This is a nasty horror thriller that has a Class of 1984 feel to it, although it has the most in common with the Saw series (even the line "Oh yes, there will be blood!" is morphed into "But there will be pain!"). It's not quite as outlandishly brutal, but it's still pretty mean."[4]

Fortean Times said, "While the plot twists rarely come as a surprise, the film's grimy feel and effective pacing, and a gripping - if occasionally rather over-exaggerated - central performance by Skarsgård, make this a genuinely thrilling venture into Se7en territory, despite the unfortunate silliness of the title."[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ New York Times
  2. ↑ "The Killing Gene". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster.
  3. ↑ Chud.com
  4. ↑ DVD Talk
  5. ↑ Forteantimes.com
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