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Stellan Skarsgård, Melissa George, Selma Blair, Ashley Walters, John Sharian ... see more see more... , Tom Hardy , Paul Kaye

A seasoned gangland detective who always plays by the rules finds his integrity put to the ultimate test after he and his partner are drawn into a sadistic game of death. Ask any officer on the force ... read more read more...about Detective Eddie Argo (Stellan Skarsgard), and odds are good they'll tell you he's one of few honest cops left in this lawless city. But recently Detective Argo and his rookie partner Helen (Melissa George) have become entangled in a gruesome series of murders targeting the city's most notorious gang members. As a result, the city is in a panic and Detective Argo is forced to revisit an old case that still haunts him to this day. Through it all, the killer remains steely in their determination to make Detective Argo pay for a past misdeed, and see how he responds when forced to place his life on the line for the sake of someone he loves. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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65% want to see it

2,883 ratings

Critics

71% liked it

14 critics

R, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Tom Shankland

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DVD Release Date: August 12, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (558)

  • 76Majikat
    September 25, 2011
    76Majikat
    My predicted rating: 3

    This plot could easily have been made into a gritty Thriller, or a very suspenseful Horror, instead it came across as a cheap version of an otherwise potentially good film. The acting started off pretty poor and got better in parts. The Brit Actors were... read more quality Actors who are worthy of much better roles.

    It was sort of watchable, but totally lacked any suspense.
  • MrMarakai
    December 15, 2010
    MrMarakai
    This film has, deceivingly, been pitched as "Saw" by way of "Se7en". Firstly, it doesn't have the originality of the first "Saw" installment and secondly, it is by no means, anywhere near as good as "Se7en".
    New York cops Eddie Argo (Stellan Skarsgard) and Helen Westcott (Meliss... read morea George) investigate a series of bizarre murders in which innocents are tortured in front of guilty loved ones who could (but don't) volunteer to die in their place.
    The fact that it's a serial killer yarn is frankly, the only comparison that can be made with the films mentioned above. It has the atmosphere in abundance, looking very gritty and dangerous but all it achieves in doing, is reminding you that graphic violence in films is completely unnecessary, if the script is in place beforehand. Which this just doesn't have. It strings us along with the old who-done-it? storyline but after half an hour of it's nasty attitude and having a lack of identity with the characters, I couldn't care less who done what, or why, when, or how. All I was aware of was that I couldn't give a shit if any of them sneezed and their heads fell off. A shame really, as it uses a philsophical question as a good narrative tool. Asking "does altruism exist in nature?" In dealing with altruism it should have shown some of it's own and saved us from this abusive assault. However, a short appearance from the very talented Tom Hardy and Stellan Skarsgard getting the lead role for a change, are plus points.
    A film that really looks the part but leaves a rotten aftertaste and ultimately falls into torture-porn category.
  • briandeguelle
    June 25, 2008
    briandeguelle
    ok movie on more then that.
    check it out if your bored
  • Lemure
    August 19, 2010
    Lemure
    He's a grizzled, veteran detective. She's a rookie getting her first taste of the big city. Serial killer turns up with ties to a case in his past.
    It wants to be the next Se7en (by way of Saw), but is a very long way away from it's goal. It's also crap.
  • cacutshaw
    August 28, 2009
    cacutshaw
    An incredibly pleasant surprise. Often us horror folk lament that a lot of our favourite genre's output does not have much brains. However, sometimes you can find a diamond in the rough such as this or the equally good Antibodies. It's great when a writer uses the horror genre... read more (the best genre there is! Yay!) to explore interesting moral questions and ideas. Granted, I knew this was going to be at least decent with Skarsgard in a starring role, but I never dreamed I'd like it as much as I did. I was actually a little choked up by the ending.
    I'm certain one could poke holes in the moral dilemma in the film (the fact that the "tests" were performed on morally devoid criminals) but what the hell, it's good to see ideas like this thrown about along with our blood and guts sometimes. Definitely worth a watch at the very least. Watch along with The Ninth Configuration which this movie almost seems like a companion piece to.
  • spaulsson
    May 29, 2009
    spaulsson
    Clichés and stereotypes aside, "W Delta Z" has an throughout entertaining story that centres around interesting philosophical themes, like moral and egoism. A few well shot brutal scenes and overall satisfying camera work and cinematography. Pretty good acting and music. A somewh... read moreat underrated movie if you ask me, but in many ways a typical thriller that's easy to forget.
  • silentbob66
    October 18, 2008
    silentbob66
    The Killing Gene follows the story of a detective and his new partner as they try and track down a killer that is killing people that the detective had delt with in a previous case the killer seems to be killing people by haveing them make a choice between themselves and the ones... read more they love useing torture and electrocution. Pretty good suspense thriller that falls apart in some places but has good performances all around includeing some gore scenes and a small twist ending worth given a look. Another release threw the Dimension Extreme label
  • matseb2611
    August 19, 2008
    matseb2611
    First of all I'm gonna say that I was severely disappointed. I expected a clever thriller full of twists but instead I got this crappy plotted, badly acted movie with a very stupid mini-twist at the end supported by useless gore. Oh and did I mention that it also looked really lo... read morew budget. It seemed that they used a handheld 'home video' camcorder to make this film.
    I seriously am gonna tell you to ignore this film, even if you love mediocre thrillers, because this is well below average.
  • lovecyn4ever
    August 16, 2008
    lovecyn4ever
    Is an average thriller/horror flick with few graphic scenes that are well done but the film lacks in suspense,besides it reveals everything too quick related to the killer & at times the film turns out predictable.Better than few torture porn films i seen in recent years & the f... read moreilm goes at a good pace.Some people are comparing this to such films as "Saw" & "Seven",to me is just a revenge film.What disappoints me the most is this gimmick for unrated dvds,specially when i find out that the most brutal & gruesome torture scene was left out from the movie & you can see it at the deleted scenes in the dvd special features.
  • DrLappos
    June 17, 2008
    DrLappos
    Absolute belter of a movie. Edgy, well paced and with a great scrip this was well worth a watch....

View All W Delta Z (The Killing Gene) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Lucius Gore
August 10, 2008
Lucius Gore, ESplatter

'The Killing Gene' feels like a film that was trying to be something else -- maybe a dark and bloody episode of 'The Wire.' Full Review

Nigel Andrews
February 22, 2008
Nigel Andrews, Financial Times

Think of Saw and multiply it by Seven. Full Review

David Gritten
February 22, 2008
David Gritten, Daily Telegraph

A little too close to torture-porn for most tastes, but debutant director Tom Shankland shows promise. Full Review

Peter Bradshaw
February 22, 2008
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]

This serial-killer horror is a knockoff of the now seriously knackered Saw franchise. Full Review

Mark Samuels
February 22, 2008
Mark Samuels, Total Film

Ugly to look at and nasty in the extreme, this British-made flick should please genre fans with its icky body horror. Beneath the surface gore, there's a healthy amount of psychological intensity for ... Full Review

Rob Daniel
February 22, 2008
Rob Daniel, Sky Movies

Recommended for audiences who thought Kevin Bacon's Death Sentence was too restrained; everyone else steer clear. Full Review

Chris Tilly
February 22, 2008
Chris Tilly, IGN Movies UK

The most unusual and original horror film to be made on these isles in many a year. Full Review

Jamie Russell
February 22, 2008
Jamie Russell, BBC

Although he struggles to make the British-feeling production convince, UK helmer Tom Shankland gets the faux-Fincher nihilism just right. Full Review

Nigel Floyd
February 22, 2008
Nigel Floyd, Time Out

The performances are intense and Morton Søborg's gritty, atmospheric cinematography recalls '70s crime movies such as 'The French Connection'. Sadly, the tonally uneven 'WAZ' cannot quite match their ... Full Review

Kim Newman
February 22, 2008
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine

If you've got the stomach for strong scenes of torture, and the heart to take part in an uncomfortable debate about human nature, this intelligent horror is well worth your time... Full Review

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