The damsel in distress has become a movie trope so worn out that it is starting to be seen as offensive. After all, why can’t a woman defend herself? Does she really need a big strong man to protect her? Of course not. While there are more strong female roles being written for actresses today, there is still a significant shortage of them, with the damsel in distress stereotype still many screenwriters go-to for female roles. Trent Haaga (writer of Deadgirl, co-writer of Cheap Thrills) aims to flip that stereotype on its head with his latest film 68 Kill, a pulp black comedy that turns the man into a damsel in distress that is surrounded by a slew of unpredictable and dangerous women.
Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Liza (AnnaLynne McCord, Excision) aren’t exactly the perfect couple. He spends his days cleaning out septic tanks and she spends her days as an escort (or, in Liza’s words: ““You shovel shit for a living. I suck dick. I’m tired of it.”). They manage to get by, but Liza grows weary of their poor lifestyle. One day, Liza sees one of her johns open a safe containing $68,000. She convinces Chip to join her in robbing the poor sap, but their heist unsurprisingly goes awry, with Chip realizing that the woman he thought he was in love with may not be so perfect for him after all.
68 Kill is a gender role reversal of epic proportions. Gubler becomes the damsel in distress that is pursued by several unpleasant female characters. Are these strong female characters or are they offensive caricatures? That distinction will ultimately depend on the person (the friend that I saw it with proclaimed “That movie hates women” shortly after the screening), but I would argue that it’s the former. After all, if the roles were switched around and the lead was a hapless white woman being harassed by three abusive men, wouldn’t people be criticizing the film for its abuse of the central character (and make no mistake, Gubler’s Chip is abused plenty in the film)? It’s a conversation that Haaga, who adapted the screenplay from Bryan Smith’s novel of the same name, no doubt wants audiences to have.
Gubler does a serviceable job playing the naive and bumbling Chip (he’s basically playing the same role he played in Suburban Gothic), but the real stars of 68 Kill are trio of women who come and go from Chip’s life. The actresses who portray them are each given their own act of the film, essentially turning 68 Kill into a pseudo-anthology. It should come as no surprise that McCord, as Chips unhinged girlfriend Liza, is 68 Kill‘s secret weapon. Ever since her scene-stealing turn in Nip/Tuck 10 years ago, she has emerged as an incredible character actress. She proved that she was able to show restraint in films like Richard Bates Jr.’s Excision and Trash Fire, but she gets to let loose in 68 Kill, and she is spectacular. Liza is a loose cannon like none you’ve ever seen before, and when she is not on screen the film loses momentum.
That loss of momentum is felt the most in the second act. McCord leaves the film for a while (don’t worry, she returns eventually), making way for Alisha Boe’s Violet. Unfortunately Boe gets the short end of the stick with the bland role of Violet, a girl who just so happens to win Chip’s heart. It is her segment that almost causes the film to fall off the rails, abandoning its cynical stance and switching gears into sentimentality. It’s a tone that feels out of place in the film. A Girl Who Walks Home Alone at Night‘s Sheila Vand shows up as a Goth gas station attendant named Monica (who does not shop at Hot Topic) to cause some more trouble for Chip. She makes a strong impression but the character does becomes grating after a while. None of Violet’s or Monica’s flaws are because of the actresses that portray them. The roles are just written that way. Each actress gives a committed and compelling performance. It just so happens that two of the roles are half-baked.
68 Kill won’t be for everyone. It is a nasty piece of cinema that, on the surface, seems to want to exploit the women it puts at the forefront. There isn’t a single likable female character in the film, but somehow the actresses that portray them manage to (figuratively) make it out unscathed. There really isn’t a deep message to be gained from 68 Kill, but it’s trashiness is almost endearing. If you’ve got some booze and a group of like-minded friends, 68 Kill makes for an awesome Saturday night movie party.
Poster Art by Evan Yarbrough
