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Review: ‘Bounty Killer’ splatters blood on white collars

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Mary Death (Christian Pitre) is the future’s biggest celebrity. In her sexy-waitress mini dress and white vinyl go-go boots, she’s every bit the self-promoter Kim Kardashian is. But instead of a reality show, in “Bounty Killer,” Mary’s famous for being “the greatest killer the world has ever known,” a ferocious, bloodthirsty pinup queen.

Mary and Drifter (Matthew Marsden), her former lover and current rival, are swoon-worthy folk heroes who ruthlessly mow down the enemy of the people: white-collar criminals. Shot and scripted like a comic book come to life, the violence they bring down on tax cheats and insider traders is as self-consciously stylized and pulpy as Mary herself. A mid-film car chase ends with a tomahawk as beautiful as a sunset cleaving two heads, one on each side of an RV wall.

Unfortunately, the action and gore monopolize the film’s store of gleeful effervescence. The complex plot, which has Mary, Drifter and their annoying fanboy-cum-gun caddy Jack (Barak Hardley) traversing across the new Wild West, is exhaustingly hectic. The hunters become the hunted when a corporate mercenary (Gary Busey) pursues the trio, as do a group of nihilistic cannibals gussied up like clown-faced Juggalos. Flat jokes, uneven performances, and a predictable romance help make “Bounty Killer” a lot less fun than it should be — a killer shame, given its boldly gonzo premise.

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“Bounty Killer”

MPAA rating: R for strong bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity

Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes

Playing: TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, Hollywood. Also on VOD

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