New Line CinemaFun is an essential emotion in cinema. Few seem to be having it anymore, and those capable of cultivating it don’t get nearly as much credit as their buttoned-up counterparts. That’s a shame: the endorphin rush that comes from sitting in a dark theater, hooting and hollering with a group of like-minded strangers, is becoming increasingly underestimated. But it’s something we need more now than ever. It stands in defiance of cringe or cramp, sometimes even trumping a film’s predictability. That’s especially true for They Will Kill You, director Kirill Sokolov’s English-language debut. In so many ways it’s more graphic novel than movie: Sokolov seems determined to make both the coolest and craziest thriller of the decade, and he mostly succeeds. Zazie Beetz’s brazen heroine crashes through cinematic splash pages that invoke the collective spirit of Lady Snowblood, Foxy Brown, and Dawn of the Dead. The Russian director also projects his influences proudly and emphatically on each frame, and they don’t end with the grindhouse hits that inspired the likes of Tarantino — or the work of Tarantino himself. They Will Kill You also owes plenty to the work of Sam Raimi, whose oddball marriage between slapstick and gore inspires so much of what makes this film work. Then there’s its girl-fights-Satanic-cult premise, which ties it directly to 2019’s Ready or Not. Yes, this will undoubtedly remind you of other (some might say better) films. But it also understands the perverse thrill of watching everything that can go wrong burst so fantastically into flames.Part of what saves They Will Kill You from outright nacho-reheating is its formidable final girl. It’s rare to see a Black woman centered in an actioner like this, but Sokolov gets gold with Zazie Beetz, who strikes the ideal balance between wisecracking machine and angel of vengeance. Her Asia Reaves (or, my next Halloween costume, sorted) has spent her entire life protecting her sister, Maria, from their abusive father; the flashback that opens the film reveals just how far she’ll go to clinch their freedom. She shoots her dad point-blank when he catches them trying to run away from home, but doesn’t hesitate to abandon Maria when the cops show up. She pays for that mistake with 10 years in prison, where she hones her skills with jagged aplomb. They’ll come in handy when she arrives at the Virgil, the ancient New York high-rise where a now-grown Maria (Industry’s Myha’la) has reportedly been working as a maid.It’s so obvious that the Virgil is a den of iniquity from the moment Asia, in the guise of a mild-mannered new maid, darkens its doorway. Demonic motifs adorn its façade, and its front door bears the kind of locking apparatus you’d sooner find on a bank vault. The building’s custodian, Lily (Patricia Arquette, sporting a soft Irish lilt), is likewise super sketchy, as are the residents Asia meets in the lobby. Fortunately, Sokolov wastes zero time revealing the Virgil’s true face, and Asia comes well prepared to fight her way out of whatever hell awaits her. She barely gets a wink of sleep before a group of poncho-wearing cultists in pig masks sneak into her room and attempt to make her a human sacrifice. But once she gets ahold of the weapons she’s stashed in the closet — a machete, a shotgun, and a few rusty knives — it’s clear she’s not locked in this death trap so much as her captors are with her. The satanic cult angle gets a hilarious Looney Tunes upgrade. | New Line CinemaThey Will Kill You goes all-in on its first splashy fight, relishing in the heads that roll and the limbs that explode into bloody pulp. What might be gruesome body horror elsewhere is a perfect punchline here: bodies careen dramatically into walls once shot, and others turn into spurting blood fountains once sliced and diced. Crucially, though, these cultists get back up even after a bout with Asia. Their deal with Satan has rendered them immortal, which allows Sokolov to reuse big names like Heather Graham and Tom Felton in multiple, increasingly gnarly fights. The director also has plenty of fun testing the limits of said immortality, pushing They Will Kill You into cartoon territory. A body plods forward without its head in one of the film’s most squirm-inducing (and laugh-out-loud ridiculous) moments; a rogue eyeball, separated from its host after a particularly gnarly headshot, rolls around the Virgil doing reconnaissance on Asia. These visual gags, created with practical effects, go a long way in giving They Will Kill You a distinct edge over the films it’s biting from. It’s a shame there isn’t more to go around: this story’s worst flaw might be its inability to get a bit more specific in its pastiche. Sokolov clearly has big love for pulp and circumstance, but it’s not quite enough to throw those disparate stories into a blender and crank the dial to “loving tribute.” That missed opportunity is most acutely felt with the film’s reluctance to give the Virgil not just a sense of place, but a true personality. There’s a halfhearted nod to The Raid as Asia searches for Maria, and her guide, the surly janitor Ray (Paterson Joseph), informs her that each floor of the Virgil is dedicated to one deadly vice. The film wrings out an easy laugh on a floor which is essentially one big orgy, but doesn’t take its deconstruction much further than that. It’s impossible not to wonder what a more thorough exploration of this world could have looked like — but They Will Kill You must also find the heart of this tale, so its ambiguity is easy to forgive.They Will Kill You could use a bit more specificity, but it’s got plenty of heart to make up for it. | New Line CinemaNo part of this film would work without a strong reason to fight, and Sokolov supplies that with Asia’s duty to Maria, grounding supernatural absurdity with sisterly angst. Beetz puts They Will Kill You on her back with gritted teeth and a bullish attitude, but Myha’la, turning in a quieter, more vulnerable performance, gives the film a delicate soul. That connection to Ready or Not threatens to rear its head in the push-and-pull between a hardcore survivor and the family she left behind, but They Will Kill You handles that dynamic with a touch more finesse. When Asia faces off against a dozen Virgil cultists holding Marie hostage in a pitch-black room, armed with a flaming axe, it is unmistakably cool. But you also care about these characters — who, unlike their adversaries, are not invincible. The fun and games here may be the best we’ll see all year, but it also has the heart to back it up, whatever its flaws otherwise.They Will Kill You premiered at SXSW on March 17. It opens in theaters on March 27.