Kill List (reviewed)

One needs a certain amount of fortitude, intestinal and otherwise, to endure British writer/director Ben Wheatley’s gore-strewn contract-killer thriller-cum-melodrama. But those who are tough enough will discover a game-changing jolt of audience manipulation and cinematic social critique on the order of, say, Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games” — or maybe even Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange.” Let’s just say that war-vet buddies Jay (Neil Maskell) and Gal (Michael Smiley) get a chance to put their combat experience to work in a civilian context. The prospect of never being able to look at a hammer in the same way again does appeal to you, right? (95 min.) 4 out of 4 stars. Rob Nelson