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Uwantme2killhim shows the danger of cyber relations in a world where the lonely can make too much of an investment in whoever the person is who is replying.
What drew me to this movie was it looked like it had a weird love story due to the trailer, as well as Joanne Froggat, who you may know as Mrs. Bates from Downton Abbey. Not only that though, but it seemed to have an intriguing villain, a dash of murder and, best of all, it was based on a true story. With that mention, how could you not wanna see what would happen?
To begin, the leads for this film are Jamie Blackley as Mark and Toby Regbo as John. Mark is very much a popular jock, football being his specialty, and he seems very friendly. As for John, he is this weird kid who, thanks to a foreign step-father, is ostracized and considered the son of a terrorist. Alongside them is Joanne Froggatt’s Inspector Sarah Clayton, who isn’t written to make her different from any generic investigator; then there is Janet, played by Liz White, who is a MI5 agent; Jaime Winstone, as Rachel, a girl who plays a love interest to Mark trapped under her abusive boyfriend Kevin, who is played by Mingus Johnston; and that rounds out the main cast.
Now, the story for Uwantme2killhim probably benefits the most from the trailer, for reasons I won’t mention. Things begin nicely though. We see Mark enjoying the spoils of popularity, including a girl named Zoey (played by Amy Wren) who uses him for sex, despite having a boyfriend. But then, assumingly in the pursuit of a relationship, Mark goes into a chat room and we discover he has a little cyber thing going on with a girl named Rachel. It is so serious that they have cybersex and he masturbates on web-cam, but you don’t see her face. Things escalate and Rachel asks the favor of Mark looking out for her brother John, who is a strange little thing, and while Mark does so, Kevin takes over Rachel’s avatar and seemingly with that, bye-bye Rachel. From there, we see Mark seem very much affected by the death of a girl he never physically met and this drives him to wanting to kill Kevin, and then MI5 get involved, and the story begins to make you question how many facts were used, and how much is artistic license?
Which is sort of the best part about this film. The trailer sort of misleads you, but it doesn’t hurt the film by doing so. Instead, it adds onto the overall mystery and as things come together and Inspector Clayton starts piecing together the big mystery, you do feel a bit shocked. Also, you have to admire the performances in the movie for they really do help push things along and, with the writing, you don’t feel the need to pause this and go off to do something else for a while, which I often do.
But, the negatives of the movie can be something which could be a deal breaker for some. For one, as things get dramatic, the film loses its believability. One example would be: who wouldn’t be suspicious of someone never going on camera and all you have is a picture to see them by. I mean, common sense would lead you to believe that it could be some creepy person or kid messing with you. Also, upon them bringing in MI5, you begin to start wondering if the only difference between the NSA in America and MI5 in Britain is that MI5 will tell you when you messed up and will give you a warning. Still though, the amount you are expected believe makes that whole “Based on a True Story” tag seem like a lie.
Overall: VOD/Rental
Though the suspension of disbelief the film expects may test you a bit, I think it overall makes for a good movie to watch. The performances are good, writing full of trickery, and maybe if you pay attention to the details you’ll get it, but then again maybe you won’t. Also, with the tag of “Based on a True Story” being on there, it does make you wish you could learn more about the facts, but unfortunately the case is sealed. And yet, the writers got a hold of it… hmmm.
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