Review: Killing Ground

Aussie filmmaker Damien Power has a clear knack for nasty, realistic violence. His new film Killing Ground is full of moments of such grisly acts. While he is able to pull some suspense and terror from these moments, the film suffers from a lack of visual command and a narrative trick that wears out its welcome. 

The film opens with a setup any horror fan will be familiar with. A vacationing couple arrive at a secluded beach and find there is already a campsite. The first act meanders around setting up multiple timelines but lacking a sense of building tension to them. The other campsite belongs to a family of four, including an infant. We are also introduced to our killers, spending time with them in between sessions of hunting and killing. The films juggles these timelines fine but there is never a compelling reason to why the film structures its narrative in this way. 

The one argument I can make for the film's non-linear structure is that is does provide some unexpected moments of quiet prior to the violence. The film spends more time with the killers than others of this nature. As a result, we get a unique power struggle between them. However, the film never pays off what it sets up here. In the end, both men prove to be sociopaths. 

Power is a filmmaker with some real talent but too often his influences drive his decisions. You can feel the love for Straw Dogs and Deliverance in the film. Even Wolf Creek seems like a direct influence here. This would be forgivable if the film had a strong visual style but sadly Killing Ground is shot in an extremely uninteresting way. Power never uses the frame in ways to heighten the suspense and often favors full on violence than playing with what happens off-screen. 

The cast does a fine job but no one really stands out. This is a film that captivates because of its survival based plot contrivances and not because it forms compelling characters. There is a nagging sense that the filmmakers chose to sit with boring characters rather than distill the screenplay into something tense and effective. This is especially try given the final moments of the film that asks us to care about the outcome of the central couple's relationship. It is a moment that is never earned or as interesting as it thinks it is.

Overall Killing Ground is a genre exercise that tries to take a fresh take on a grisly setup but doesn't deliver with enough suspense or style. 

2.5/5