Trust No One
by
“Who isn’t trying to kill me?” Ashton Kutcher’s character asks during one chaotic scene from Killers. In this fast-paced action comedy directed by Robert Luketic, Kutcher portrays a former spy whose past catches up with him. Katherine Heigl co-stars as a wife who gets the surprise of her life when she discovers the truth about her husband. Despite some intermittent blah dialogue and a schmaltzy ending, Killers is fun and suspenseful to watch. Plus Kutcher and Heigl make an intriguing on-screen couple here.
Displaying their excellent flair for comedy, both co-stars deserve kudos for their amusing performances. Gone is the man-child persona Kutcher adopted in What Happens in Vegas. He delivers a much more mature -- yet still humorous -- turn in Killers. Heigl shows the almost perfect comic timing she demonstrated in 27 Dresses. And the chemistry between these two actors snaps, crackles and pops in many of their scenes together, especially at the beginning of the film.
Heigl plays Jen, a recently dumped woman who goes on a vacation to France with her parents (Tom Selleck and Catherine O’Hara). While there, she meets the hunky Spencer (Kutcher), a man on a secret violent mission. Jen and Spencer hit it off right away, partly because of their differences in personality and lifestyle. Jen’s slightly flighty attitude and apparently normal existence impress Spencer, who no longer likes being alone and doing what he’s been trained to do. He tells Jen he’s a “company consultant,” and that seems to satisfy her. But, because of his meeting with Jen, Spencer quits the spy business, gets married, and settles down in Jen’s hometown. Jen, of course, thinks she’s very lucky now to be living with the man of her dreams.
After about three years of happily ever aftering – except for Jen’s over-protective father -- Spencer receives a call back to action. He refuses, which sets off serious repercussions. Everyone, it seems, is out to kill Spencer, hoping to receive 20 million dollars for accomplishing that dastardly deed. Jen goes berserk when she finds out about Spencer’s spy background, but she loves her man -- so she becomes a target also. The big question involves who set all this in motion. There are surprises plus action galore as Jen and Spence face those many determined killers while trying to find out why such deadly mayhem is happening.
Filmmaker Luketic (Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!) works hard to blend comedy, romance and action in this generally entertaining romp. Fortunately, I found the film losing steam in only a few places. Next up for Luketic? I’ve heard it’s directing a remake of Romancing the Stone. If so, that will be a tough act to follow.
(Released by Lionsgate and rated “PG-13” for violent action, sexual material and language.)
For more information about Killers, go to the Internet Movie Data Base or Rotten Tomatoes website.