Killer Heat – Movie Review | Prime Video (3/5)

KILLER HEAT on Prime Video is a new Murder Mystery based on a Jo Nesbø short story. While it is entertaining, I can’t claim I found it very memorable. The cast is interesting though. Read our full Killer Heat movie review here!

KILLER HEAT is a new Prime Video genre hybrid. It’s based on the Jo Nesbø short story “The Jealousy Man” and is essentially a murder mystery. However, the official genres are crime, drama, mystery, romance, and thriller.

As I said, it’s a genre hybrid, but mostly about the murder of a wealthy man. The runtime is just 1 hour and 35 minutes, which ensures that it doesn’t run for too long. Yet, in classic murder mystery style, there are a few revisions at the end.

Continue reading our Killer Heat movie review below. Find it on Prime Video from September 26, 2024.

Classic Noir Style Murder Mystery

This new Prime Video murder mystery is described as a “thrilling, contemporary mystery in classic noir style” and that is absolutely correct.

In fact, it’s so bang-on that it feels like many other “classic” noir-style murder mysteries.

It feels strangely familiar and you can almost guess what the characters will say before they speak their next line. There’s a comfort to a movie like this, however, so it isn’t entirely bad. It just isn’t really good either.

In Killer Heat, we follow the private investigator Nick Bali (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). He’s an American expat in Greece – and stereotypical alcoholic brooding male lead – who has been hired to investigate a supposed accidental death.

The man who died was a young shipping magnate named Leo Vardakis (Richard Madden). He died while rock climbing free solo style on the island of Crete. The victim’s sister-in-law (Shailene Woodley) suspects foul play and wants it looked at.

Also, don’t worry if you’re a Richard Madden fan because he plays twins in Killer Heat, so you will see plenty of him.

Watch Killer Heat on Prime Video!

Killer Heat was directed by Phillipe Lacôte (Night of the Kings), and the screenplay comes from Matt Charman (Bridge of Spies) and Roberto Bentivegna (House of Gucci). As mentioned already, it’s based on the short story “The Jealousy Man” by Jo Nesbø.

Author Jo Nesbø also wrote The Snowman which was made into a movie in 2017. He’s an executive producer on this new Prime Video adaptation of his short story.

I realize that this review isn’t a glowing recommendation, but sometimes you just want to relax with an entertaining movie. Killer Heat does deliver on that wish. It’s entertaining and features a (fairly simple) mystery to keep you interested.

Also, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, and Richard Madden are more than enough to draw in viewers. These aren’t their most challenging roles – by any stretch of the imagination – but then again, it’s a job and they do deliver!

Killer Heat is out on Prime Video globally on September 26, 2024.

Details

Director: Phillipe Lacôte
Writers: Matt Charman, Roberto Bentivegna, Jo Nesbø
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Richard Madden, Abbey Lee, Babou Ceesay