They Will Kill You

Don’t worry about taking the titular warning personally in They Will Kill You, although moviegoers who survive this ultraviolent vigilante saga might leave frustrated or exhausted.

Consistently creepy and almost cartoonishly intense, it’s a revenge thriller structured as a series of progressively outrageous confrontations that showcase some invigorating fight choreography and stylish visual gimmickry, but provide little substance beneath the surface spectacle.

The film opens with a harrowing sequence to set the tone, when Asia (Zazie Beetz) and her younger sister, Maria (Myha’la) seeks shelter in a convenience store as they’re tracked by a man later revealed to be their abusive father (Darron Meyer).

Asia escapes but is imprisoned for a decade for her act of retaliation. Meanwhile, Maria is left behind, prompting a brazen act of vengeance as the timeline shifts a decade into the future.

Asia has ulterior motives when she answers an ad for a housekeeper at an upscale New York hotel, where she’s greeted by the manager (Patricia Arquette) whose demeanor suggests something is off.

“This is a safe space,” Asia is told by a guest (Heather Graham) who proves to be quite untrustworthy. Asia becomes a target for attacks but remains resilient — fortunately, she’s gifted with a sword — determined to find and rescue Maria.

However, as the sinister nature of the goings-on among staff and residents is fully revealed, it becomes apparent that they’re eager to protect their dark secrets at all costs.

Fully committed to the physicality of the role, Beetz (Joker) conveys a vulnerability stemming from guilt and past trauma that fuels her unwavering resourcefulness and resolve.

We experience this strangely unnerving world through her curious yet cautious eyes, although the film stumbles while attempting to ground her surreal nightmare in real-world paranoia.

The screenplay by Alex Litvak and Russian director Kirill Sokolov doesn’t flesh out the story to sufficiently elevate the stakes. Fortunately, it doesn’t take itself too seriously by offering some laughs alongside the relentless brutality.

As it indulges in jump scares and gratuitous gore — from impalings to decapitations to severed limbs — They Will Kill You resorts to videogame-style mayhem to keep topping itself as the body count escalates. It’s a Tarantino knockoff that’s more repetitive than rewarding.

Rated R, 94 minutes.