Product Details

• Actors: Nick Cannon, Clea DuVall, Timothy Hutton, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Stormare
• Directors: Jonathan Liebesman
• Writers: Gus Krieger, Ann Peacock
• Producers: Alissa M. Kantrow, Benjamin Forkner, Bobby Schwartz, Gus Krieger, Guymon Casady
• Format: Color, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Genius Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 13, 2009
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002C6VMKW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,510 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Killing Room" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

In this highly charged, psychological thrill ride four strangers are recruited as volunteers in a scientific research study. But they soon find that they are pawns in a classified government program to determine the breaking point of the human mind. As the experiments are conducted with each unwilling participant, the sterile white room becomes a horrible nightmare where the endgame is survival itself.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Room Without a View September 1, 2009

By Nathan Beauchamp TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

A movie as spare as the clinically white room in which most of the action takes place, THE KILLING ROOM is tightly wound and highly entertaining. Shot in a slightly monochromatic, gritty visual style the film introduces a room of strangers gathered together to participate in a medical experiment for cash--or so they think. What unfolds is part SAW, part THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, and just a tiny bit Jason Bourne and the video game PORTAL. Movies that focus on the 'what would you do to survive' motif are hardly new and usually fail because they are rehashes of old material or because they are simply too gross. THE KILLING ROOM is able to walk the fine line between ruthlessness and psychological tension coupled with a strange believability that really drives it all home.

The director Jonathan Liebesman has also wisely chosen to let the audience watch the action from both the killing room as well as from behind the scenes, all through the eyes of the very well acted Ms. Reilly (Chloë Sevigny). Ms. Reilly (without giving away too much of the plot) is introduced very early on as interviewing for a position with a government agency that tests the bounds of human psychology. The stress of this interview and its effects on her as well as her very subtle facial expressions are convincing. I found her character to be the most interesting in this sparsely populated movie.

There are several nicely constructed scenes that are well acted. In particular are the interactions between Ms. Reilly and Dr. Phillips her interviewer early in the film. There is a quiet menace lurking in the dialogue that is frequently more palpably frightening than the main action taking place below them behind bullet-proof glass. Other excellent moments include the final reveal--which delivers an unexpected surprise, one that I did not see coming.

There are a few key weaknesses to the film. Chief among them are the overuse of narrative voice masquerading as radio traffic. Much is told instead of shown through these, and by the end of the film I was quite tired of anonymous video game voices filing in the gaps. Another weak area is in some of the predictability of the plot. However, that is offset by the fantastic reveal at the end of the film which as I said, is quite unexpected.

Overall THE KILLING ROOM succeeds because it doesn't bite off more than it can chew. The set is very controlled and basic, the characters are left as cardboard cut-outs (which in a film like this is virtue) and the entire film is handled in a removed and emotionless fashion that is perfect for making the main points of the film. The film style is stylized documentary with frequent hand camera shots mixed with menacing angle shots and close ups that keep the viewer both engaged and properly distanced throughout. Liebesman has cut the film to a short 93 minutes; just the right length for his subject matter.

3.5/5 Stars. Well made, boldly ruthless, and delivers a well done final reveal.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Suspense, Mystery, Intrigue.. June 4, 2010

By Ryan

Format:Blu-ray

Let me start out saying I am reviewing the movie itself, and not the Blu-ray release. I have seen it in HD on HBO but have not yet seen the blu-ray (as it is not out yet).

This movie is an excellent suspense / thriller movie. Premise is that a small group of people are brought to a room for a "psychological research study". Basically under the guise that if they participate in the questionaire they will get paid. Things quickly go downhill from there, and soon become caught in an experiment that forces them to fight for survival The story isnt terribly original, but it is spun in such a way that it is definately worth watching. Also it is one of those stories that is best watched without knowing too much about it, as a large part of the movie is trying to figure out whats going on as they feed you little tid-bits of information throughout the movie.

Its not a big budget movie, so they keep things simple. This is not to say its low budget or low quality, they did a good job of knowing what they had and managing to stay within their limits to keep things sharp looking and sounding. The ending of the movie is definately more "small studio" than "big hollywood" as you can tell the ending is more what the director wanted rather than what the studio felt would sell best.

All in all this was a great under-the-radar suspense movie that kept me interested from the very begining until the very end.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars (2.5 STARS) The Thriller Has Some Moments Despite Plot Holes December 18, 2009

By Tsuyoshi TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

Four individuals are ushered into a small room, where they are told to fill in the questionnaire they are given. They are Crawford (Timothy Hutton), Kerry (Clea DuVall), Paul (Nick Cannon) and Tony (Shea Whigham). Obviously there are no connections between these people, except that they all have volunteered for the scientific or psychological researches conducted by some institute. But one terrible thing happens and they realize that what they are asked to do is something far more difficult than they expected, including their own survival. After all, the film's title is "The Killing Room."

The premise of the film might remind you of some of the recently-made thrillers (like "Cube" and "Das Experiment"). Part of the film's uniqueness, however, derives from its subplot (or main plot) about those who are observing the consequences of their researches. Chloë Sevigny plays a young, ambitious researcher Ms. Reilly and Peter Stormare, Dr. Phillips, her supervisor. As you see, there is a political message in the film reflecting the post 9/11 world, which you may find thought-provoking, or just absurd.

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" "Darkness Falls"), "The Killing Room" provides enough suspense to keep you interested in the story, but perhaps you shouldn't look for coherent logics here. Also, those who are intrigued by its "MK-ULTRA" premise, a code name for certain governmental research program, will find that the film's story has little to do with the real-life counterpart. Well, but who knows?

The thriller has some moments, especially its "countdown" sequences, and the actors all turned in very good performances. "The Killing Room" is fairly thrilling though you just cannot ignore its obvious plot holes.