Kill your Friends – Film Review by Emily Elphinstone

Director: Owen Harris
Writer: John Niven (novel)
Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Tom Riley, Rosanna Arquette

In ‘Kill Your Friends’, based on the novel by John Niven, Nicholas Hoult stars as Steven Stelfox; the soulless A&R man for a major record label in ‘90s London. It quickly becomes apparent that popularity, rather than quality of music is the important thing; in fact, few people appear to have any real interest in music at all. Stelfox’s only ambition is to become head of the A&R department; and as the title suggests, he is willing to use any means necessary to get there (though ‘friends’ may be too strong a word).

With clear echoes of American Psycho, one of the major issues of the film is the unshakeable sense that it has all been seen before. Stelfox and most of the characters in ‘Kill Your Friends’ have little to no redeeming qualities, but unlike Patrick Bateman, Hoult’s portrayal of Stelfox lacks the charisma to make this appealing. The first person narration which often breaks the fourth wall with direct asides to camera, doesn’t really add anything new and most of the female roles are limited to extras in bikinis; meaning that it is the style, more than the 90s setting, which feels dated.

That said, there is a brilliant soundtrack including Blur, Chemical Brothers, and Paul Weller, which keeps the film moving far more than any bands specifically featured. There are also some more interesting characters featured, including all-seeing secretary Rebecca (a scene stealing Georgia King), wide-eyed junior scout Darren (an underused Craig Roberts), and the only truly competent A&R man Parker-Hall (Tom Riley); but there is little time for them to become fully rounded characters.

‘Kill Your Friends’ sadly fails to do what others before have achieved. Its observations are too generic to really hold much weight as a satire; and by trying too hard to shock, it fails to be a great thriller. All in all it, it leaves one with only a renewed appreciation for the music of the 90s, and a wish to re-watch some of the more successful films it so strongly echoes.