KILLING ZOE

First and foremost, let me explain that I have done little to no research on this film.

This movie has been on my radar since about 2002, I would say. However, I have only recently seen it a good ten or fifteen minutes ago in 2011. So, it has taken me a while to get around to watching it. All thanks to walking past it in the movie rental last week and bumping it to the top of my movie queue...but it started with Quentin Tarantino and Eric Stoltz...makes sense.
The reason I watched this film was because of Quentin Tarantino. His name goes on something and people pay attention. It's no different with Killing Zoe. A film about a man, Zed (Eric Stoltz), who gets involved in a bank robbery. Seems simple enough. But he's an American, visiting Paris to help a childhood friend, Eric, rob a bank on a day when all of the other banks are closed. What dives even deeper into this plot is the...we'll say "Call Girl" because she despises the word Whore or Prostitute. Whatever she may be, Zoe is a small but big factor in  Zed's story. As with most bank robbing stories, someone gets out of control, plans fall through, there's guns, blood, gold bars, dynamite, masks, French subtitles and drugs.

When Quentin Tarantino puts his name on something from the '90's, I feel I am bound to find enjoyment in it. I was (and quite probably still) obsessed with Reservoir Dogs, which he wrote and directed and had a part in. The gritty first-time production is very raw and classically independent. However, nowadays it seems that that genre has become too mainstream and everyone wants to be involved. I also loved Pulp Fiction (again, he wrote/directed/acted, ect) and surprise people when I say that it is my third favorite film of his. It seems that Pulp Fiction is the epitome of cult classic status--the genre of which has my entire heart. However, I find that Reservoir Dogs is the better of the two films and the Kill Bill series gets squished between the pair. But maybe because I saw Reservoir Dogs first and I love the acting styles of Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth and Chris Penn, I am more drawn towards a bank robbery gone wrong film. And maybe I have more emotional stock in the Kill Bill films in addition to my love of Uma Thurman and the non-sequenced scenes. Whatever the case may be, Pulp Fiction is third. Inglorius Basterds does not qualify. That is another one I must revisit because it does not even make my list.

But this is not about Quentin Tarantino. I apologize for my soap box. I merely want to express that with QT's name on a box from the 90's, have a trend of loving it. I love Reservoir Dogs and it sits securely somewhere in the top 3 on my favorites list. Close by is Hard Core Logo. Another film that has Quentin's name and face stamped on it. That film will be an entry I am definitely sure of since I do love it so much.
Other movies brought to my attention by Quentin Tarantino? Four Rooms, Desperado (okay, maybe that was more Steve Buscemi) and any other film staring Michael Madsen and Tim Roth (because Steve Buscemi and Chris Penn were already on my radar...but even more so after Reservoir Dogs...but QT doesn't get the credit)

But back to Killing Zoe. The film is an independent film. The storyline is fairly level. The characters are comprised of the main character or two or three and a cluster of odd clumps of characters. The camera angles are descriptive, artistic and attempts at edgy. For instance, a sex scene is pieced with a classic black-and-white horror film of which I'm sure you'll be familiar with. It's the music that pulsates through and while it is an odd combination to cut back and forth between actors' faces during mid-coitus and a film in the classical horror section, it somehow works. The film does have drug use and at times, you feel a little lost and the images seem fuzzy. It plays well into that factor. However, the drug scenes I would have personally cut because they don't (but do) have much influence. The movie is not overly original but then again, is anything nowadays really that original? This film may have been more original if my mind was not cluttered with excess garbage films and repetition.

Zed, played by Eric Stoltz, is everything you expect from Eric Stoltz. While, he's not a sought-after actor of mine, he is one I do enjoy. Maybe it's the red hair but I do like him. He has something cool and calm about him without pushing the limits or repeating his characters. However, with a name like Zed, I can only recall "Zed's dead, baby" line from Pulp Fiction in that Bruce Willis voice as he gets on the motorcycle. I hope it's not this Zed because I quite liked him. He's naive without being a wuss. He is determined without being bossy or a prick. And he's relaxed without being a drug dealer (a nod to Pulp Fiction, again). Zed is casually likeable.
His childhood friend, Eric, is not so friendly. The first scene we have of him is when he throws naked and showering Zoe out of Zed's hotel room. Then, he proceeds to spiral and we realize Eric's character (hence the reason for the drug scenes). Eric's crew (including the random monkey) seem to be fairly defined but there are too many of them to really pay attention during a first-viewing of the film. Their actions and characters come out more during the heist.

Unbeknownst to me, the movie involves a bank robbery. Zed is the guy to open the safes. It seemed as if this part of the film seemed to take forever to appear, however, it only took less than forty-five minutes. The groundwork seemed to take up a lot of time without really going anywhere. But, glad it was there. The bank robbery is a little scattered which seems to be a theme with this film. It goes back and forth through calm and chaos which is parallel to the bank robbers' mood and actions. And by the end, you're pretty sure you know what's going to happen but enjoy the ride all the same.


So, what are the Pro's and Con's?
Pro's: Eric Stolz, bank heist gone wrong, emotional and character development, great artistic filming/editing, good fight scene, blood and bullets
 Con's: fairly simple plot, pretty typical ending (but love it still the same)

Overall, not bad. It's one I need to rewatch but I liked it.

Would I go see it again? I plan to...maybe tomorrow night
Would I buy it? Not sure. Depends on how much I think about it. Probably not...But I do wish it would air on IFC so I could at least save it on my dvr to rewatch without renting from a store when I cancel my subscription.
Would I recommend it?  Yes. For fans of cult classics and independent films, I definitely would. If you like cookie-cutter or Hollywood films, I would steer you away from it because you probably don't even know who Eric Stolz (you'd know from Mask and Some Kind of Wonderful) or Quentin Tarantino are.
Rating: 7.5 because I plan on watching it again.