johncutter0072006 A critical sensation and a DVD hit in the US, Ian David Diaz's The Killing Zone embedded its movie-made world of talkative hard men, a mysterious company called the Syndicate and the coolest assassin ever Matthew Palmer, becoming one of the best low budget UK film I've seen in a long time. Diaz updates his UK hard-boiled crime film with twists and turns together with his nod to Tarantino the king of the hard-boiled crime movie. The film is surreal yet has a realistic atmosphere together with wittily pop-literate dialog which is engaging and some great performances from unknown actors such as Mark Bowden, the sexy Melissa Simoetti and gorgeous Nicola (UK's Eastenders) Stapleton. The direction is masterful and the photography is soooo cool! Better than Lock stock, Gangster number one, Revolver and that Layer cake this is a film you should see. If you're into finding out who's going to be the next big UK director – mark my words Diaz is going to kick ass in the future. Rent out this movie!!!! None of its many imitators has yet come close to matching Pulp Fiction's impact but let me tell you if the Zone was give a theatrical release it would. I rest my case.Also a note: I watched Lucky Number Slevin and me thinks one of the producers or writers have seen The Killing Zone – just look at the way Bruce Willis is dressed – very Matthew Palmer.

iddzone I must say this movie is one of the best low budget UK features I've seen in a long time. I watched it on VHS and now have my own copy on DVD. The Killing Zone serves to remind us what's possible within the medium of film no matter how low budget the film is. Director Ian David Diaz's debut feature is griping and hilarious from start to finish and I can honestly say I was hooked from the off. What impresses me the most is Diaz's direction and imagination; he has an undeniable talent for bringing out the best in all his cast as well creating quirky visual characters. My only question is why was it not release in the cinemas?

tomfox777 Santa came down the chimney this year with a whole bunch of new DVD's for me to spend the cold winter nights with. Amongst them was the innocently titled `THE KILLING ZONE'. Now if your idea of holiday viewing is to curl up with your lady wife in front of `Miracle On 34th Street', then Don't Put `The Killing Zone' in your player. Do not turn up the surround sound to eleven on the dial and be sure to cover your plasma screen with a blanket. Why? -This film kicks like a mule. From the very first scene, as the assassin's first bullet rips through the chest of his victim with the sound of a tomahawk missile screeching through the streets of Baghdad, you know it's going to be a rough ride for any character who comes into contact with British hit man Palmer.I don't know much about film - but I know what I like! This film gripped me from start to finish like no other action Brit-Flick I've seen. It isn't just another bunch of London mockney geezers who don't know one end of a shotgun from the other " 'avin a larf" like so many other British gangster films we've been offered. This film has class, style, action and real humour.The Writer/Director (Ian David Diaz) has spliced together the best of the 1960's British action genre and sewn it all up with a whole wedge of 1990's black comedy. Throw in a taste of the `Comic-Book' underground tempered with a lavish splash of big-time Hollywood values, all put together in a bouquet of gun's, girls and good old-fashioned entertainment. I tell you – this has got to be a recipe for future feature successes. The cast are cool, sharp and down right hilarious. Look out for Mark Bowden as Lance who certainly knows how to play both the comedy and drama of a scene. Padraig Casey as Palmer knows how to point a gun and kill people. Nicola Stapleton as Kerry will knock you dead if Bowden does not kill you laughing and Casey fire a bullet in your brain. Together they form the perfect combination move for the finale to this film. Three Friends – One Scene – No survivors? You'll have to watch it!Meanwhile, can Santa bring me another like it next year?

alan_d62-2 If you thought 'Lock, Stock' shot itself in the foot and 'Snatch' sucked the big one, then this is the British crime thriller you should really be shelling out your five bucks for.'The Killing Zone' is the perfect example of how a no-budget indie crime anthology should be made. It's tight, lean and the final 'third' of the trilogy is a cracker. OK, it's a slow burn for the first ten or fifteen minutes, but well worth sticking with it to get clued in on the main characters involved.All the principal acting performances are spot on - well-rounded characters and some excellent 'film' style dialogue, which makes a pleasant and unexpected change from the usual turgid TV/theatre speak that so often pops up in British films. Melissa Simonetti and Mark Bowden stand out for special praise in this respect.I gather this cult classic-in-the-making will be hitting the video shelves in the US at the end of Spetember. Do yourselves a favour and head for your nearest video store pronto.Believe the hype. You won't regret it.WHY HASN'T THIS FILM BEEN GIVEN A THEATRICAL RELEASE?!