Killing Ground
IFC Films | Release Date: July 21, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
3
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
The PlaylistGary GarrisonJul 20, 2017
It’s a chilling, assured debut for writer/director Power, packed with promise and a startlingly mundane sort of violence which is all the more shocking for its realism. Read full review
81
Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpJul 20, 2017
It’s a really well-made genre movie, the product of a smart, obviously skilled filmmaker with a good sense of economy. Read full review
80
The GuardianLuke BuckmasterAug 24, 2017
The elegance of Power’s approach belies the extremities of his blood-splotched, hard-nosed story. Which, as the film escalates conflicts and scampers towards closure, is more than grim – borderline misanthropic, perhaps. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoJul 19, 2017
What Backcountry did for campfire creature attacks Killing Ground does for murderous bushmen in the same setting. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJul 20, 2017
The film is a blunt, brutally effective survival tale distinguished by the parallel suspense tracks of its non-chronological structure. Read full review
70
Screen DailySarah WardJul 20, 2017
Convincing portrayals aside, this conventional story is further bolstered by Power’s sparse approach. Brutal as many scenes may be, the filmmaker imparts a sense of aesthetic restraint, knowing that waiting is often more unnerving than blustering straight ahead. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis HarveyJul 20, 2017
Tasmania-born Damien Power’s impressive first feature, Killing Ground, transcends the cliches even as the film uses plenty of familiar tropes, laying down a solid hour of effective buildup to a duly hair-raising, prolonged climax. Read full review
70
Village VoiceLuke Y. ThompsonJul 20, 2017
What the film doesn’t do, much to its credit, is make the killers into charismatically “cool” villains, à la Wolf Creek‘s Mick Taylor. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKimber MyersJul 20, 2017
Killing Ground is an effective indie creeper that unnerves the audience with its all-too-realistic violence. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeJul 19, 2017
Killing Ground comes down to what you want to experience in a horror movie. Granted, all this elaborately constructed savagery is upsetting, so the film succeeds on that level. But without suspense to propel it forward, and without a compelling backstory to deepen the intrigue, upset is all we’ve got. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 20, 2017
Lean and relentless, patient and pitiless, “Killing Ground” is the sort of thriller that gives horror movies a good name. Read full review
60
IGNEdward DouglasJul 24, 2017
Killing Ground is a well-made movie that, at times, is just too plain ugly. It may be mild compared to other “torture porn,” but it still won’t sit very well with everyone who watches it. Read full review
60
CineVueJamie NeishJul 20, 2017
Killing Ground isn't terrible. Far from it, in fact. It uses the non-linear narrative structure well to toy with the audience and create a sense of mystery around the duel arcs of the characters involved. Read full review
58
The Film StageTony HindsJul 20, 2017
Killing Ground’s twists might be effective, but stylistically speaking, it’s sub-Eli Roth. Read full review
30
The New York TimesKen JaworowskiJul 20, 2017
Certainly, the senselessness of bloodshed may be Mr. Power’s point. But with this setup, such a message is all but muted. Read full review
25
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsJul 21, 2017
The main distinguishing feature of this film is its almost-novel nesting-doll plot structure, and passing thematic interest in its narrative's formulaic nature. Read full review
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