'Killing Season' Movie Review: De Niro, Travolta And Not Much Else

Killing Season, the new film starring Robert De Niro and John Travolta, is a pseudo-action thriller that never goes beyond the superficial delight some audiences find in watching humans hurt each other. It's a shame, really, given the fact that De Niro and Travolta are both amazing actors and form such a powerful match.

Directed by Mark Steven Johnson (who also directed Ben Affleck's Daredevil – yes, you read that correctly), Killing Season had real potential. De Niro and Travolta are both magnetic as two veterans of the Bosnian War who end up in an intense fight to the death. Travolta plays Emil Kovac, a Serbian who miraculously survived after being shot execution-style by a young Benjamin Ford (De Niro) during the war. Kovac lives for one thing and one thing only: to hear Ford atone for his sins, and then, presumably, to kill Ford as painfully as possible.

While Kovac never let go of the war, Ford has done everything he can to escape from it. Ashamed of his actions and haunted by the lives he took in battle, Ford lives alone in a lavish cabin in the mountains, where he spends his time taking pictures of the wildlife.

The film begins with Ford traipsing around the forest, taking beautiful photos on top of glorious mountains. As a result of a series of "accidental" meetings, Ford invites Kovac into his home to wait out a rainstorm. The two men quickly find that they share a history of combat and a love of hunting. They have a meal and a bottle of liquor. Little does Ford know that Kovac is lying about his identity, trying to figure out what makes Ford tick. This drunken dinner scene is by far the best in the film. Kovac and Ford even sing along to Johnny Cash – it's truly a sight to see.

The next morning, the killing games begin. Kovac lets his true identity be known, and that's when the film really starts to unravel. Kovac's intentions, while clear, feel superficial and, quite frankly, petty – especially considering the weight given to the character. Travolta plays Kovac as a man of honor – one who acknowledges his sins, but also knows what he needs to do to live. What's unfortunate about the film is that it tells you that Kovac feels a need to kill Ford without making it believable. It's all smoke and mirrors.

Why would a man who survived being shot at point-blank range create such an elaborate plan just to hear the man who shot him admit to what he'd done?

The character of Ford is no more developed, but we do know more about him. Ford has a son, Chris (Milo Ventimiglia), who just became a father himself. The awkward tension between Ford and his son would have been really interesting to explore, but unfortunately the movie decided to focus more on Ford and Kovac's endless battle, and it only allows Chris to act as proof of potential motivation behind Ford's character. It's a lazy oversight that undermines the entire conflict between Ford and Kovac. Instead of fighting to see his son again, Ford fights simply for the satisfaction of violence, just like Kovac.

The lack of meaning made watching De Niro and Travolta spar on screen one of the most disappointing things about the film. How sad to see two powerhouse actors, both strong and dedicated, forced to fight without reason and take turns torturing each other. The two battle it out, with the upper hand shifting too often for any meaningful catharsis to really take place. At one point, Ford, who could have called the police and been done with it, ties Kovac onto his dining room table and tortures him purely for revenge. At that moment, I felt as though I was watching a horror movie like Hostel (disclosure: I have never seen Hostel, nor have I ever felt the need to), and I couldn't shake that feeling for the rest of the film.

As promising as Killing Season sounds, it isn't so much a decent thriller as it is a trashy horror flick. I give it two stars out of five – one star per great actor – because De Niro and Travolta are the only reasons to go see this movie.

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