Boy Kills World (2023)
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A deaf-mute martial arts expert seeks vengeance against the family that destroyed his life in a dystopian city.
The story
In a dystopian city ruled by the Van Der Koy family, a young boy named Boy lives with his mother and sister, Mina. During an annual event called The Culling, Hilda Van Der Koy murders the boy's mother and sister, leaving Boy for dead and rendering him deaf and mute. Years later, a fully grown Boy, trained by a Shaman, seeks revenge against the family. After witnessing a massacre caused by the family's enforcer, Boy infiltrates their territory, seeking to dismantle their power and exact justice for his lost family.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Boy, a young child, lives in a dystopian city with his mother and sister, Mina. During 'The Culling,' Hilda Van Der Koy murders his mother and sister, leaving Boy deaf and mute. Years later, Boy, trained by a Shaman, seeks revenge. He joins forces with a captive named Basho and a resistance member, Benny. They infiltrate the Van Der Koy manor, where Boy discovers the party is a ruse to trap enemies. After a duel with the enforcer June 27, Boy learns Hilda has been living in a bunker. During a massive battle, Benny sacrifices himself and Basho is mortally wounded. Boy eventually reaches the bunker, where he discovers a shocking truth: Hilda is his mother, and the Shaman had brainwashed him into believing she killed his family. Furthermore, June 27 is revealed to be his sister, Mina, who is still alive. In a final confrontation, Mina stabs Hilda, and the siblings fight through the guards to face the Shaman. Boy fatally stabs the Shaman, and the film ends with a flashback to their childhood, showing they survived.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 111
- Production countries
- Germany; South Africa; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Moritz Mohr
- Writers
- Tyler Burton Smith · screenplay; Arend Remmers · screenplay; Arend Remmers · story; Moritz Mohr · story
- Cast and characters
- Bill Skarsgård · Boy; Jessica Rothe · June 27 / Mina Van Der Koy; Michelle Dockery · Melanie Van Der Koy; Brett Gelman · Gideon Van Der Koy; Isaiah Mustafa · Benny; Andrew Koji · Basho; Sharlto Copley · Glen Van Der Koy; Famke Janssen · Hilda Van Der Koy
- Genres
- action comedy; action thriller; dystopian
- Themes
- revenge; family; brainwashing; dystopia
- Tone and mood
- zany; irreverent; grindhouse; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- martial arts; deaf-mute protagonist; vengeance; dystopian
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on a short and previsualization reel
- Franchise connections
- Super Dragon Punch Force 3
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with a Metacritic score of 47, while audiences gave it a 'B–' on CinemaScore.
- Reported review scores
- PostTrak · score: 71%
- Production trivia
- The film was produced by Sam Raimi and Roy Lee.; A spin-off video game was released in 2024.; The film features a voice of H. Jon Benjamin for the protagonist's inner voice.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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