Private detective Jim Noble (Scott Sell) moves into a loft complex in Tampa. The handsome detective soon gets to know his new neighbours and catches the eye of struggling musician Justin Jaymes (Tom Goss). After being hit on by the singer, Jim wakes up the following morning to find his admirer face down in the pool dead. With the help of his neighbours, Jim starts investigating Justin’s murder in a bid to find out who the killer is.
Out To Kill is the latest movie from writer/director Rob Williams of Guest House Films. It’s his first film since 2012’s well-received The Men Next Door and moves away from the romantic-comedy feel of his previous films. With Out To Kill, Williams aims to create a gripping and twisty murder mystery for an LGBT audience; something we don’t see all that often.
Jim is established straight away then quickly thrust into the midst of all the action. Of course with Out To Kill being a murder mystery nothing is as straightforward as it seems, and the viewer is treated to many twists and turns right down to the last few minutes of the movie. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the story takes you to a place you don’t expect and serves up plenty of surprises. After Justin’s murder, Jim starts to learn about the relationship he had with all of the men in the complex and uncovers plenty of secrets.
The performances in the movie vary wildly which is one of the main things that hold this movie back. Scott Sell is superb in the lead role as Jim and he oozes charisma. He makes a watchable and believable leading man and we hope to see much more of him in the future. Also worthy of a mention is Mark Strano as Vic whose performance we really enjoyed. He builds believable chemistry with Sell and makes his character endearing to the audience.
On the other side of the spectrum is Tom Goss. This is his first acting role and unfortunately it really does show. His delivery is quite stilted and wooden which is a real shame. He looks the part but sadly he just doesn’t quite pull it off. Similarly Rob Moretti’s performance was underwhelming and he wasn’t able to match the superior performances of Sell and Strano.
Special features on the disc include an audio commentary, video interviews with the actors, trailers and a two music video by Tom Goss in character as Justin Jaymes.
Out To Kill is an enjoyable movie. Despite its flaws and weaknesses, it’s an interesting entry into the LGBT cinema genre. We enjoyed the story and as usual writer/director Williams tells his tale masterfully. Unfortunately the mixed bag of actors is what lets it down. Had the entire cast been on the same level as Sell and Strano then Out To Kill would have been a stronger movie.
