Kill Your Friends – Film Review by Pierce McDonough

Directed by Owen Harris

Written by John Niven

Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Tom Riley, James Corden

Nicholos Hoult plays the amoral A&R man, Stelfox, desperately searching for his record company’s next hit in a pre-Napster, 90’s London. Hoult struggles to naturally incorporate the many nihilistic, swear laced monologues into the action as large chunks of the script seem to simply be lifted from Niven’s book, rather than adapted. Voice-over and direct monologues to camera tell us how ruthless and money-driven the music industry is from the start of the film right up to the credits. While the satire bites at first, it isn’t long before it dulls as we understand that Stelfox and his associates aren’t very interested in making art.

Every character is conveyed without a hint of humanity, driven purely by greed. They don’t face any moral dilemmas but only pragmatic ones about how they can take advantage of others to further their own careers. Murder turns out only to be another tool at their disposal as quite early on, Stelfox murders his competition (James Corden) for a promotion. At only one brief point does the character stop to question his actions and a conscience is hinted at. This is quickly brushed aside in case we get the impression that he might possess anything resembling a heart.

Pop songs from the era slickly transition the hedonistic characters from one drug-fuelled scene to the next. Constantly shifting from quick, acidic monologues to energetic bursts of violence, the film never slows down. It isn’t long before its celebrations of excess, ironic or not, become tiring and lose their provocative edge.

The film is at its best and funniest when parodying the various musical acts that Stelfox has the chance to sign. Included among them are a German dance producer that plays his ridiculously, violent and misogynistic song for the bewildered Stelfox, a Swedish indie band filled with mellow hipsters who provide contrast to the energetic cocaine addicts that sign them and a group of Spice Girl wannabes who can’t stop arguing long enough to sing. Had the film spend more time focusing on the music acts and less on Stelfox’s decline into psychopathic madness, it would’ve made for a lighter, less pointlessly nihilistic watch.