The Kill Room

Nicol Paone’s flat direction and Jonathan Jacobson’s listless screenplay leave the cast painting by numbers.

It tries to skewer the art world, but the result is pretty toothless.

The funny, frisky crime caper plays to the leads’ chemistry, delivering an escapist delight.

Thurman and Jackson show great chemistry in a dark, well-acted art satire.

While the killer with a heart of gold trope works to varying degrees, mostly because of Manganiello’s unvarnished presence, the thematic heft of “The Kill Room” is enough to make it an intriguing and entertaining early work.

The premise rests upon a tired and philistine notion about modern art, here iterated by an indignant criminal’s protest, “My five-year-old makes better paintings than that with his fingers.”

It’s even more biting about the craven capitalism of the art world than Velvet Buzzsaw and features some great broad comedic work from Uma Thurman and a soulful turn from Joe Manganiello.

Nicol Paone's film has pace and smarts, and will appeal to anybody who reckons modern art is all a big con.

The Kill Room is a fun time, especially if you don’t expect too much from it. Despite the lack of well-developed characters, the movie is enjoyable.

The Kill Room is far from a masterpiece, but Thurman, Jackson, and Manganiello guide the broad comedic brush strokes in entertaining fashion.