We were so enamored with being sent a copy of The Kill Point from Spike TV, we decided to write two separate reviews of the show. I watched the three episodes that were sent to Critical-Hits this weekend, separate from The Game to not be influenced by his opinion. (I actually watched them on my own for logistic reasons, but why quibble over the details.) Additionally, I have not read his review of the show, so this review is independent of the influence of Master Dave.
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, it is time to talk about the show.
The Kill Point is an intense show about a bank robbery with twists. It has all the drama associated with a heist flick (I love a good heist flick – what guy doesn’t) and as many twists as a Twizzler. John Leguizamo portrays Mr. Wolf, the head of the bank robbers. Leguizamo fits the part of a bank-robber-you-want-to-cheer-for perfectly. On the other side of the law stands an ace hostage negotiator played by Donnie Wahlberg. Wahlberg’s performance shines, as he was my favorite character of the episodes I watched. He gains bonus points for being a stickler for grammar, and that is not just because I am an English teacher. The writers cleverly applied this trait to Wahlberg’s character, and as a result he seems better and smarter than everyone else, the FBI included.
Perhaps the best part of the show centers around all the extra players involved with the plot. In addition to the robbers, hostages, FBI, and police, the show pulls in an important businessman with unlimited resources, secret messages, a hired assassin, and a rogue military unit on the outside loyal to Mr. Wolf. These extras provide strong subplots, interesting conflicts, and fascinating twists that add to the overall complexity and excitement of the show. Who new Pittsburgh could be so compelling?
From what I have seen, The Kill Point is an excellent mini-series that keeps getting better. I am going to watch the remainder of the series as soon as possible and would recommend that the readers of this site give it a look.
Score: 4 out of 5
Making sense out of drscotto’s five point scale:
1 – This show is horrible. Do not bother.
2 – Only hardcore fans of the genre or type should consider this movie.
3 – Pretty good show. Several flaws make it difficult to give a higher score, but fans of the genre will love it, as well as some others.
4 – Great show! A fabulous series that either has one or two minor flaws, or a superb title that just would not appeal to everyone. In addition, movies may fall into this category because they just do not quite live up to the level of a 5.
5 – Spectacular show, as it is excellent in content, creativity, and expectations. Everyone, no matter the genre, can also enjoy this series.
At one point I found myself wondering where this was set… thanks for picking up on Pittsburgh!
“He gains bonus points for being a stickler for grammar, and that is not just because I am an English teacher.”
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Does he seem better and smarter then everyone else due to this trait, to you, because you’re an English teacher? Other people may not get the same idea from it, but I’ll have to check out the show because I’m very interested because of how much you liked the character.
Danny: That may be the case. However, I think the first impression of this trait is similar to the one given off by someone with an extensive vocabulary. But being a “grammar nazi” takes the concept one step further. By correcting his colleagues, he comes across as either superior, or arrogant. Either way, the added characterization is interesting.
I watched five minutes of Kill Point tonight. Some guy came on to complain about how his kid was in danger (cue dramatic music) and how he had to do everything he could to save him because his kid was all he had left in this gosh darn rotten world. I made the “ugh” noise and changed the channel back to CNN.