Kill Ben Lyk is a 2019 action comedy about a string of killings that lead police to try and protect those who might be the next target.
Ben Lyk (Eugene Simon) is doing what he can to make it on YouTube, mostly getting punched in the face (a reaction you’ll embrace as well), but hey, people are watching. But while that might be giving him some attention, it’s got some repercussions. He’s just read in the papers that a Ben Lyk in his hometown was been murdered. Sure, it’s not him of course, but it’s distressing either way. However, when a second Ben Lyk is killed, he panics, calling on his viewers to protect him, realizing that other Ben Lyks are in the same boat. Scotland Yard steps in, gathering Ben and eight other Lyks in London to try and work out what to do next.
I’ll admit that the set up for director Erwan Marinopoulos‘ debut effort Kill Ben Lyk is a good one, with writers Jean-Christophe Establet and Oliver Maltman loading up their screenplay with plenty of cliffs to jump off of. The choice to go funny with a sheen of ultra violence seems, at this point, a wee bit obvious, but it works for the most part, the large cast squished into a small room having some fun with the whodunnit? strings to pull on.
So, with its fast as lightning dialogue and cheeky attitude, Kill Ben Lyk tries hard to be like a slew that have come before it, the talky British crime flick somehow all colored in the same manner. This one’s led by the first Ben Lyk, a hopelessly annoying, egotistical braggart, believing himself more popular than he is, wanting only to document what’s happening for his channel but left spinning when cops take his, and everyone else’s, phone. He’s way out of his element as seven other Ben’s – a host of oddballs each with their own set of hangups – join him at a secret hideout that, naturally, isn’t all that secret. That includes an attractive girl Ben (Simone Ashley) with a secret of her own, who our hero takes a liking to. Sort of.
Authenticity is of course out the window, Marinopoulos using his limited space and budget to ramp up the zany, keeping the film jumping (mostly) with enough energy to keep it all interesting, even as it treads about in familiar water. Skipping opportunities for stronger characters in favor of layering one bit of sharp-tongued conflict after another, it sticks to the silly, including the lead officer (Gretchen Egolf) being stuck on the phone with her young child, forced to read bedtime stories while mayhem erupts in the house she is assigned to protect.
Fortunately, with a short 77-minute runtime, it doesn’t meander too much, though tonally, gets a bit rollercoaster-y. The last 15 minutes or so is meant to be dark, with a minor character emerging to have greater significance that feels more keeping with a plot turn than anything convincing, going on a run of violence that ultimately strips this of much that it worked for, trying to be shocking but upending any lift of hope and inspiration. I suppose that’s the point, as bullets fly and bodies fall, walking this to a quirky but heavy end. Still, it didn’t have the punch for me I think it intended, though no doubt many will find plenty entertaining, especially fans of this offbeat subgenre.