‘Kill Me Three Times’ Movie Review

Kill Me Three Times Movie Review
Simon Pegg stars in ‘Kill Me Three Times’ (Photo Courtesy of Magnet Releasing)

One of the constants in my cinematic viewing is that if Simon Pegg is cast in a film, I want to see it. He’s the unsung hero of the now revived Mission: Impossible franchise and whether he’s in some form of collaboration with Edgar Wright and Nick Frost or not, he’s a part of some of the entertaining TV and movie projects in the past decade. And so when I saw that he was involved in a little Australian film playing a hitman, I couldn’t wait to see it.

Called Kill Me Three Times, the film is an efficient yet obvious take at the twisty-turny series of criminal backstabbery kind of ordeal (I love being technical). Pegg is the through-line among an interconnected group of people in a small, seaside Aussie town. I’d elaborate on how people are connected but that’s sort of the only thing the movie attempts to do: show you one side of things and then turn it around. So I’ll keep from spoiling things.

Not that anyone who’s seen any decent conspiracy film won’t see things coming from miles away. But whether it’s because of my positive bias for all things Australian, all things Simon Pegg, or because I’m writing this on a beautiful sunny day, I was fairly entertained by it all. While the plot was about as opaque as a sheet of tracing paper, the cast clearly had a good time practically mugging for the camera.


Pegg delivered a wonderfully comedic yet ruthless performance, exactly as I had hoped. Teresa Palmer did a nice job of echoing Neve Campbell and Denise Richards from Wild Things (without the need for gratuitous nudity), and all of that is a compliment. There actually is some nudity, though it comes from Alice Braga (I am so not complaining) and aside from Pegg’s involvement, her ability to ground the story is perhaps the most important factor in keeping the movie from coming off the rails.

Then there’s the use of Bryan Brown. Many of you may be asking who that is but if you’re a Aussie film fan like I am, he’s kind of a big deal (Americans may know him best from the F/X film franchise). In any case, it was fun to watch him play the part he does and he brought a much needed level of intimidation to the affair.

Another element which maybe won’t be as exciting to some as it is to me is the copious amount of people who actually get shot … whether or not it’s a fatal hit or not. The movie has to have an element of danger for its participants or it won’t work. As much as I’m not too impressed by first-time screenwriter James McFarland in terms of clichés and his attempts to make the plot clever, he doesn’t shy away from letting bad things happen to people in the midst of doing bad things – no matter how good their reasons may be.

So in the end, if you’re looking for a light filler of a movie, I heartily endorse Kill Me Three Times. It certainly doesn’t push the boundaries of its genre but the cast turn what could be quite a droll affair into a fun way to spend an hour and a half. My guess is that this movie won’t be in a lot of theaters so if it’s not playing near you, maybe just keep it on your radar for the home market. I mean, it’s got Simon Pegg. You really should see it simply for that reason alone.

GRADE: C+

MPAA rating:: R for bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity

Running time: 90 minutes

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