KILLER HEAT (AMAZON PRIME) (2024)

SYNOPSIS: In this contemporary noir thriller, an expat PI (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is hired to investigate a suspicious death in Crete, Greece, where jealousies run deep amongst the victim’s powerful family.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Killer Heat marks Hollywood’s second attempt at adapting Norwegian crime novelist Jo Nesbø’s works to the big screen after the critically-panned The Snowman. Based on one of his short stories, the movie adaptation however is filled with clichés and dull exposition making it yet another dud for Nesbø.

The crime drama boasts a cast featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley and Richard Madden. Levitt plays Nick Bali, an ex-NYPD cop turned PI who is being hired by Penelope Vardakis (Woodley) to investigate the suspicious death of her brother-in-law Leo, who fell while free solo climbing on a deserted island. Apparently, Leo and Elias Vardakis (both played by Madden), the husband of Penelope are twins and they are the offsprings of a billion dollar shipping company based on the beautiful island of Crete.

Unlike say Knives Out, Killer Heat struggles to be a convincing murder mystery consider the said crime only revolves around that handful of characters. Maybe it’s boring Elias, femme fatal Penelope or perhaps the twin’s mysterious mother, Audrey (Clare Holman). There’s an early scene where an obvious clue is mentioned so you probably know who is actually the murderer. That inevitably takes out other potential suspects.

The basic framework of Killer Heat perhaps work better as an erotic thriller. I mean who in the right mind will engage a private investigator to investigate the death of your brother-in-law whereas none of his immediate family members are keen on the foul play theory. Indeed Penelope Vardakis is a very suspicious character. Oddly, she is relegated to the background, mostly responsible for less than compelling exposition and flashbacks with the Vardakis brothers.

The magic however lies in Joseph Gordon-Levitt who gamely portrays a troubled man who suffers from alcoholic abuses and a wife who declared she is trapped in a loveless marriage with Bali. His character mirrors the nature of the movie- jealousy. The theme is wonderfully explored despite the flaws of the story. Like Leo and Penelope, Bali is trapped in the same dreaded scenario. The theme is commendable and Nick Bali turns out to be a more satisfying character than everything else.

Nick together with the islands’ only good cop Mensah (Babou Ceesay) enthusiastically roams the place giving cinematographer Andrew Dunn an excellent chance to shoot the stunning Greek island. Killer Heat in short lacks the intensity and witty investigative skills of a typical whodunit. The unfolding of events are leisure at best. Woodley and Madden carries no emotional weight to their characters and only Levitt seems genuinely interested in the whole mystery.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee