‘Boy Kills World’ review: Bill Skarsgård strikes a satisfying punch

Movie review

If a movie originally had a different voice actor and only a bunch of festivalgoers in Toronto heard them, should you just get the lovely H. Jon Benjamin of “Bob’s Burgers” to do it instead? In the case of “Boy Kills World,” the answer is a resounding yes. Giving life to the inner voice of Bill Skarsgård’s Boy, a man seeking revenge in a fascist dystopia, Benjamin provides just the right balance of sincerity and snark to hold this dark action-comedy together. When combined with bloody good action choreography, the film mostly knocks any flaws aside.

This all kicks off with what is essentially an extended training montage that doubles as a speedy origin story for Boy. Left both deaf and mute after his family was killed, he now trains with the man who saved him. Embodied with playful panache by Yayan Ruhian of the spectacular “The Raid” films, he seeks to shape Boy into a weapon so that the scrappy youngster can take down those responsible for his loss: the Van Der Koy family. While this drags on a bit too long, the pace soon picks up when Boy finds an opening to strike at the heart of the corrupt dynasty. 

And goodness does he strike. 

The creative variety of weapons, from a cheese grater to a giant cereal mascot, is matched only by the precise stunt choreography that ensures every battle packs the necessary punch. The film is abundantly silly, but the craft behind the action is serious business and impeccably realized. It’s not quite on the level of something like the “John Wick” series, which Skarsgård recently starred in the fourth entry of, but it’s still sufficiently fun. 

Some of the supporting cast drags it down, with Brett Gelman’s woefully one-note performance as a midlevel baddie sticking out as the worst. Thankfully, an initial foe played by Jessica Rothe of the delightful “Happy Death Day” films and an ally played by Andrew Koji of the stellar series “Warrior” provide redemption. 

Even when a late twist lands awkwardly, the final deadly dance that follows is a work of graceful and gruesome art. It not only leaps free of anything that was holding it back, but it does so in beautiful, brutal fashion. Whatever hangups you have, a surefire way to make you forget them is with a diving head butt in slow motion. To me, that’s cinema.