The Killing Room (2009)

4 strangers sign up for what they think is a simple bit of medical testing.  What they don’t realize is that they have just signed themselves up to be guinea pigs for a some sort of twisted government experiment.  Paul, Kerry, Crawford, and Tony are subjected to some terrible situations; all while a couple of psychiatrists sit in an observation booth above commenting on their reactions.  But what kind of experiment is this and for what purpose is it being run?  The answers to these questions are kind of twisted, but do fit with the world in which we are all living. 

And I think that is why I liked this movie so much.  The plot synopsis was kind of difficult to write because I don’t want to give anything away while reviewing The Killing Room.  Which is also going to make this part of the review a bit difficult as well.  There are really a couple of things that I liked about The Killing Room.  First of all is the plot.  The movie is setup really well with the 4 strangers being locked into the room and given some time to interact with each other before things take a sinister turn.  You get an idea of where each character is coming from and who they are.  Then the doctor shows up, makes some small talk, and finally gets things going.  Oh and how the experiment really starts is crazy, unexpected, and shocking.  But this also makes things serious to both the characters and the audience.  From this point on the movie is very tense and keeps the audience off balance.  Again I’m not going to spoil anything, but the ending has a nice bit of a twist to it and is far from a happy one. 

The second thing that I enjoyed about the movie are the performances from a great cast.  I’ve always been a big Clea DuVall fan and she does a nice job in a supporting role as Kerry.  Though I have to admit she is pretty much playing the same sort of character that she always plays, but still she does it well. Nick Cannon (Paul) and Shea Whigham (Tony) are also pretty decent in their roles.  But my favorite performance is from Timothy Hutton who plays the take charge alpha male, Crawford.  While this movie is more about the ensemble cast, Hutton gives the best performance and at times is carrying the movie.  I also wanted to mention one of my personal favorites Peter Stormare, who always does a great job in the supporting roles he is cast in.  Here he plays one of the doctors that is watching and commenting on the proceedings, and is really creepy in the role.  The only disappointing thing about the cast was how little Chloë Sevigny manages to do with her role.  I know that she is a good actress, but I though she was kind of flat here.

I was looking for a change of pace after having watched a ton of horror movies for October and The Killing Room was a great change up.  It might not appeal to everyone, but I think there is something cool going on here and recommend it to everyone.

3 out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer

© Copyright 2009 John Shatzer