Kill Me Three Times

Kill Me Three Times follows professional assassin Charlie Wolfe (Simon Pegg) as he finds himself tied up in the double-crossing antics of several oddball characters, including a mild-mannered dentist (Sullivan Stapleton’s Nathan) and his scheming wife (Teresa Palmer’s Lucy), a vicious, crooked police officer (Bryan Brown’s Bruce), and an adulterous couple (Alice Braga’s Alice and Luke Hemsworth’s Dylan) on the run from her abusive husband (Callan Mulvey’s Jack). It’s a busy storyline that’s perpetuated by a time-shifting, non-linear narrative, and it’s clear that director Kriv Stenders’ initial efforts at luring the viewer into the decidedly familiar proceedings fall somewhat flat (ie the movie’s first half is just slow-paced and forgettable). Scripter James McFarland’s less-than-innovative approach to the material ensures that Kill Me Three Times takes an awfully long time to get going, although, to be fair, the film does benefit from an assortment of affable performances and a smattering of better-than-expected sequences. There’s little doubt, as well, that the movie improves immeasurably as it progresses into its everything-goes-south third act, with the increasingly frantic atmosphere paving the way for a violent final stretch that’s as ludicrous as it is entertaining – which ensures that Kill Me Three Times, at the very least, ends on an almost impressively positive note.

**1/2 out of ****