Beetz's 'They Will Kill You' Wows SXSW, Overwhelms by the End
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- Kirill Sokolov makes his American studio debut with 'They Will Kill You,' starring Zazie Beetz as Asia, a self-trained samurai who fights up nine floors of a Manhattan apartment building to rescue her sister Maria (Myha'la) from wealthy Satanists.
- Zazie Beetz spent four months training to perform her own stunts, with a standout sequence in which she charges into a dining room of robed cultists swinging a flaming ax.
- 'They Will Kill You' premiered at the 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival and is set for theatrical release on March 27, 2026, via Warner Bros.' New Line Cinema.
- The 94-minute film leans heavily on practical effects, including a puppet eyeball that flings itself through air vents by its exposed optic nerve, though later digital VFX are described as less charming.
- The review praises the practical action and stunt work but says the film becomes overwhelming and 'deflates' after its opening salvo, with the climactic supernatural shock only briefly recapturing the early energy.
- Patricia Arquette plays Lily, the commanding head housekeeper who delivers the exposition, while Paterson Joseph plays her husband Ray — both are credited with making the Satanist back-story bearable.
Why it matters: For genre fans, Sokolov's commitment to practical stunts — including Beetz's four-month training and a flaming-ax cultist massacre — positions the film as a visceral showcase ahead of its March 27, 2026 New Line release. But the reviewer's verdict that 94 minutes of 'overstimulation' blunts the impact could limit crossover appeal to viewers unfamiliar with the Tarantino/Raimi/'The Raid' referential lane.
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