Scraping by flushing septic systems is not his vision of a perfect life, but Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler) is a simple guy and he’s got a great girlfriend in Liza (AnnaLynne McCord). Sure, she supplements their income with a sugar daddy, but every relationship has its own complexities. When she suggests that they relieve her sleazy benefactor of a stack of cash, Chip begins to see a side of her he never knew existed…or never wanted to admit. Now he’s got a gun in his hand, a girl in his trunk and less than 24 hours to figure his way out of this mess.

68 Kill is a wild, bloody, psychotic ride of a film. From beginning to end it is non-stop craziness that makes this one of my favorite films at this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival. 

Chip thinks life with his girlfriend Liza is too good to be true. Sure, she gets a little rough sometimes but clearly this hot girl loves him. Yes she’s got a sugar daddy on the side but only to help them to make their rent. His co-worker at the septic tank company he works at tries to warn him. But Chip knows best. Until he finds himself riding with Liza  to sell to her brother the girl he just put in the trunk who is the only the witness to the double murder Liza just committed and he unknowingly became an accomplice. And that is just the beginning. 

Writer/director Trent Haaga, adapting author Bryan Smith’s 2013 novel, does an outstanding job making a film that is surprising around every turn. Even when you think you know what’s going to happen, he somehow manages to twist your expectations. 

McCord is beautifully frightening and funny as Liza, one of the scariest, loving, psychotic women I’ve ever seen. Even when she’s angry, her smile barely leaves her face. McCord appears to be delighting in the role. Liza is a supremely confident woman who has no doubt about who she is and what she wants. As Chip, Gubler is terrific as a somewhat spineless man who at one point is accurately described as her dog. He tries desperately to get out of a situation he doesn’t fully understand how he got into, much like the fly stuck in honey during the opening shot of the film. McCord and Gubler are perfectly cast as is the rest of the cast of misfits and trailer trash.

68 Kill is well crafted top to bottom in every category. In addition to the engaging dialogue, the amazing cinematography feels as though the camera itself was in love with its subjects. All the technical aspects of the film have the polished look of a much bigger budgeted film. This particularly true of the gory makeup effects, most notably when a character has his arm shot clean off. 

There have been several films at Fantasia 2017 that I have loved. But 68 Kill has to be at the top.