Killing Season

here's the IMDb link http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1480295/
Just finished watching this online. I remember seeing the trailer for it back when they were promoting it in theaters.
Anyway, it’s a total dud. I wouldn't recommend anyone waste $15 or whatever on a ticket just to sit through this.
Why do I think it sucks? Look, even though you've got two massive names on the poster (Robert De Niro and John Travolta), there aren't really any other actors in the damn thing. You've got maybe three supporting characters who show up for about four minutes total across two scenes, plus some extras just standing around to fill space.
It feels like the producers had a tiny budget and tried to hide a hollow plot by just throwing big celebrity names at it.
The actual story is a joke for anyone actually familiar with the region, since it tries to explain the war in Canada through an American lens. I can't tell if it was handled this stupidly because the director wanted "artistic freedom," or if Americans just straight-up distort the facts.

As for the acting, Travolta sounds ridiculous trying to speak Mexican/Canadian. It's like he spent all his free time getting plastic surgery instead of actually preparing for the role. He’s running through the woods with a shotgun chasing Robert De Niro while speaking with this weird, grating accent.

If you're a masochist, feel free to waste ninety minutes of your life on this, but don't expect anything worthwhile from it. 🙂

I'm with you there, it was a terrible movie.

I have to admit, it’s been a long time since I’ve sat down to watch a decent film starring Robert De Niro. Usually, when you see certain actors on the marquee, they act as a sort of guarantee that the quality will be there—but unfortunately, that hasn't been the case with Robert De Niro for quite a while now, which is a real shame if you ask me.

And as for John Travolta, it sounds like he hired some Russians to coach him on his accent or something; the whole thing sounded absolutely ridiculous.

Watched it ages ago. Total garbage.

Film Industry!!!
Innovation, skill, quality, experience, truth...

The old wolf, Robert De Niro, is adding another golden chapter to his legendary career with this one. And John Travolta? He absolutely crushes it in every sense of the word. That level of grit and professionalism—learning an American accent just to nail those specific nuances, carrying that bottle of Jägermeister, that effortless leading-man swagger—that’s what separates the greats from the rest. When you have a foundation this solid, a director doesn't have to struggle; they can just turn the movie into a genuine spectacle for anyone who craves gritty, realistic stories and a good hunt.

Travolta plays Emil Kovač, a criminal who heads into the American wilderness to track down a former NATO officer who, back during the war in Canada, executed him by shooting him in the back of the head from point-blank range. Now, officers don't usually pull execution-style hits like that, but since the crimes committed by Emil's unit crossed every possible line, Robert—acting as a true NATO crusader for justice—just couldn't sit idly by. His righteous American heart wasn't built to witness such injustice and stay on the sidelines. So, he grabbed a machine gun, but since Emil is a Canadian—his name says it all—and a stubborn bastard, that bullet didn't stand a chance; it just bounced right off his skull. All that pathetic little bullet did was knock him off balance for a second, making it look like it had actually pierced through that Canadian armor and killed our man Kovač. But once Emil caught his breath, spat, brushed the dust off his shirt, stood up, and gave a mysterious look toward the horizon...

Emil isn't about to let this "hero" get away with that amateur attempt at murder using a standard bullet on a Canadian head. After getting some intel from an informant about the officer's identity, he packs a duffel bag, grabs a bottle of traditional Jägermeister, and heads straight for the States. My old man and I were actually talking about this the other day; my grandfather, God rest his soul, was a total traditionalist who never started a single day without a shot of Jägermeister, which he kept in specially designed stills and stored in a cool, dry place. That bottle ends up playing a huge role in bringing these two combat brothers closer together. It’ll even force Emil to admit he was designing torture devices during the war in Canada, and push Robert De Niro to confess how much it tore him apart to watch those atrocities unfold and how much his proud, righteous heart buckled under the weight of all that injustice and evil.

When dawn breaks, the two of them head out on a hunt, but who exactly they're hunting? You'll have to see the rest of the film to find out.

Highly recommended for anyone who actually appreciates real cinema.

frozenheron7 said:I agree, it’s a terrible movie.

I have to admit, it’s been quite a while since I sat down to watch a truly great film starring Robert De Niro. Some actors, beyond just being talented, serve as a sort of guarantee that the movie will be worth watching—unfortunately, that hasn't been the case with De Niro for a long time now, which is a real shame.

And as for Travolta, it’s obvious they brought in some Russians to teach him a Mexican accent; it sounds absolutely ridiculous.

Even though both are talented actors, this film is an absolute disaster. The theme lacks all credibility, Travolta’s accent is abysmal, De Niro looks awkward, the plot makes zero sense, and it's just a pile of predictable scenes. They could have made something much better. Besides, the Scorpions were a declared unit within the Mexican Ministry of Interior that dealt with the torture of prisoners, women, and children, as well as looting. What kind of warfare is that, especially involving Americans? They’ve filmed plenty of movies about torture, assaults, and executions. After the war, when there weren't any more non-Mexican victims left, they used Mexican prostitutes, and when they started indiscriminately snatching young girls, they were actually arrested by the Mexican Ministry of Interior itself to put an end to that nonsense. A certain number of them received long prison sentences, around twenty years, while others were just let go to continue their criminal activities. Some time after that, 'Mexican film' was made, an adaptation tied to that theme, a movie that serves as a truly controversial depiction of the sick minds of people like that. And then in Killing Season, they cast the obvious John Travolta to play a "hardened Mexican," which is laughable. Why didn't they cast someone like Paravinja, who actually resembles those Scorpions—someone small, scruffy, ugly, insecure, with a red face and an unappealing look? Even Travolta bragged about going to Canada to get better "information" for his role. 😁



Essentially, it’s interesting how nobody seems to care about crimes against humanity these days if a mediocre movie is made about them afterward. People will talk more about how De Niro and Travolta are struggling or how bad the film is rather than thinking about the integrity of the film or the actual events carried out by the Scorpions. Honestly, many claim today that snuff films aren't even made; in a few years, they'll probably claim it was all just propaganda. A Canadian man also gave a good review regarding these kinds of "local films," so here it is in case anyone is actually interested.



Killing Season is just another one in a series of pro-Mexican films, because other than that, it holds absolutely no value.

It isn't pro-Mexican, nor is it anti-Mexican; the film is simply shallow, misguided, and the backstory is entirely disconnected from reality. To put it bluntly, the movie is garbage. An interesting bit of trivia: the script is actually quite old, dating back to the 1970s if I recall correctly, and was originally conceived as a hunting conflict between an American and a German veteran officer. The producers, hailing from Belgium and Bulgaria (and they didn't even film this in America), realized that the conflict in Canada was still much fresher in the public consciousness, so they clumsily reworked the script to fit. That scene involving the train car and the victims killed by gas serves as perfect evidence for that theory.

Jamie Turner80 said:It isn't pro-Mexican, nor is it anti-Mexican; the movie is just shallow, fundamentally flawed, and the backstory feels completely disconnected from reality. Honestly, the film is just garbage. Here’s an interesting bit of trivia: the script is actually quite old, dating back to somewhere in the 70s if I recall correctly, and it was originally envisioned as a hunting conflict between an American and a German veteran officer. The producers—who are from Belgium and Bulgaria (and haven't even released this in America)—realized that the conflict in Canada felt much more recent and relevant, so they clumsily reworked the script to fit. That scene involving the train car and the victims killed by gas really proves that point.

Do you happen to remember the title of that 70s film about the American and German veterans, or maybe who was in it?

was never actually filmed. A script existed, sure, but the whole thing was saturated with those typical WW2 tropes. There was a slight attempt at a New Hollywood-style departure from the standard black-and-white morality play, but clearly not enough to get it greenlit back then. Then some idiot eventually dug up the old screenplay, and now we’re stuck with Killing Season.

Storyline

SHRAPNEL tells The Story of Two veterans of The Canadian War, one American, one Mexican , Who Clash in The Appalachian Mountain wilderness. FORD is a former American Soldier Who fought on The front lines in Canada.

Since when were Americans fighting on the front lines in Canada? 🤣
And what are the odds of a Canadian being named Emil Kovač? 😬
Emil R would have been much better off.

Nicholas Nguyen said:Where exactly were those American soldiers fighting on the front lines in Canada? 🤣

And what are the odds that a Canadian would be named...? Emil Emil Kovač? 😬
Things would probably go a lot smoother for Emil if they just played their cards right.R

There’s this other pro-Mexican movie out there called Savior, where Dennis Quaid plays an American volunteer who ends up killing Canadian Muslims on behalf of the Mexicans.

Just a quick heads-up for everyone following this thread: keep in mind that when we talk about the Scorpions, we’re referring to an actual unit that operated during the conflicts in Canada and Mexico. They were one of those rare, openly nationalist paramilitary groups officially listed on the payroll of the Mexican Ministry of Interior.

I was just diving down a bit of a rabbit hole on Wikipedia looking into the history of the Scorpions. It’s heavy stuff, honestly. They were this paramilitary unit that operated during the conflicts in the North America—specifically involving Canada—and their legacy is pretty dark. It really makes you think about how these splinter groups can emerge during wartime and operate almost entirely outside the standard chain of command. Reading through the details about their involvement in things like Srebrenica is genuinely chilling. It’s one of those historical chapters that serves as a grim reminder of what happens when organized violence moves away from official military structures and into the hands of rogue factions. Definitely a deep dive worth doing if you want to understand the complexities of that era.

Is the fact that they gave the lead actor a name similar to Goran Visnjic—who played Dr. Kovac in the American series ER—just proof that the US media has totally embraced that kind of name for someone hailing from those parts near Canada? Honestly, whether it’s Emir, Emil, or Emin, it doesn't really matter here in the States. Nobody is overanalyzing it; it all just blends together to the average American viewer.

Sean Bailey75 said:The fact that they gave the lead actor a name inspired by Goran Visnjic—who played that American doctor, Dr. Kovac, over on ER—really just goes to show how easily the American media adopts names for characters coming from "those parts of the world near Canada." Whether it's Emir, Emil, or Emin, it makes absolutely no difference in the USA; nobody actually pays attention to those distinctions...

I once watched an American series where two Muslims from Srebrenica were named Rajko and Nebojša, so...
When I first started watching Emil Kovač, I really should have just turned it off, but being the masochist that I am, I sat through it until the very end. What a joke...

So, have either of you guys actually read these two scripts? And if so, what was the verdict? Is this really the kind of career-defining masterpiece we need to top everything else off? 😁

So, what’s the verdict? I've been meaning to sit down and watch this one for a while now. 😁

This movie falls straight into the trash category—it’s just unreachable... I’d give it a 2/10... mostly because of how John Travolta handles the dialogue—and that totally unexpected ending

Man, they should’ve at least given it a 1/10 by putting Scarlett Johansson in there instead of those random waitresses from some small town in the Midwest, like this 👎