Killing Gunther

Review: At the end of Killing Gunther, during the roll of the credits, the departing audience is serenaded by a country ditty in a register only Arnold Schwarzenegger could achieve. As the Austrian tinged country twang hits your ears you may find yourself reminisce of previous Schwarzenegger comedy greats like Twins, or Kindergarten cop; movies that made us laugh more at the sight of the Terminator bumbling about than the actual storyline. Unfortunately for current America, Killing Gunther is not Twins, it’s not even Jingle All The Way.

The hour and a half comedy shot as a mockumentary, follows Blake (Taran Killam) and his band of contract killers as they search and seek to destroy the elusive Gunther (Schwarzenegger). Hefty with previous Saturday Night Live cast members, Killing Gunther plays out as an extended skit, the kind that makes you wonder if it was written as an inside joke. A diverse cast seems inputted more to fit tired stereotypical humor than as a benefit to the writing itself. A chubby white male hick, two Russian goons, a sassy Asian, even the addition of the attractive Middle-Eastern female who happens to be the daughter of a terrorist seems lacking in conscious thought. While stereotypical characters are nothing new to American storylines, a comfort level suited more for outdated studio heads than the viewing audience, they should have the decency to be done well.

The idea of a group of mediocre contract killers hunting their top competition seems suited for Schwarzenegger, but he was underused, coming in solely at the end of the film, and much too late to save it. Even now, when most new viewers are unfamiliar with the comedic ties of Schwarzenegger, he still manages to command the screen. The movie may have been written as an homage to the action star, which may explain his prominent Producer status, but it didn’t deliver on its promise. Killing Gunther is not an awful movie, it’s doubtful anything with Conan the Barbarian in it could be, but it probably won’t beat out his worst cameo’s in rentals.

Killing Gunther
Written and Directed by Taran Killam
Produced by Taran Killam, Kim Leadford, Ash Sarohia, Steve Squillante
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Taran Killam, Cobie Smulders, Bobby Moynihan
Cinematography Blake McClure
Edited by Adam Epstein
Production companies : MadRiver Pictures, StarStream Media
Distributed by Saban Films
Release date : October 20, 2017 (United States)
Running time : 93 minutes

Screened at the San Diego International Film Festival

Photos: Copyright Saban Films

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