Kill Code or Hard Matter drops into a post-civil-war future where the ONYX Program promises to bring lasting peace through cyber-enhanced soldiers and artificial intelligence, only for operative Elera to discover that the system designed to protect humanity could instead turn everyone into a target.
It is the kind of premise that could have produced a solid low-budget science-fiction action movie, but Kill Code feels like a 1990s action film we have already watched several times, with a few good ideas that never receive enough money, writing, or execution to become genuinely watchable.
Franzi Schissler plays Elera, the cyber-enhanced operative who discovers the truth and joins a resistance determined to destroy the ONYX mainframe. Unfortunately, her performance makes the central character difficult to take seriously, and the movie never gives her enough personality to carry the story.
Tyrese Gibson appears as Lukas, and for me, his presence has become almost a warning sign that the movie is heading in the wrong direction. Jacob Artist, Sescily Leon Connell, and Brett Cullen fill out the supporting cast, but most of their characters exist mainly to deliver exposition before disappearing into the next chaotic sequence.
The villains and opposing forces are not much more memorable because the movie never develops its futuristic world enough to give them real weight. The idea of an AI system controlling cyber-enhanced operatives and potentially targeting humanity is familiar, but there is plenty of room for a smart action thriller inside that premise. Kill Code simply never develops the concept beyond the surface.
Justin Price serves as writer and director, while Filip Vandewal handles cinematography, with David L. Snyder responsible for production design and Critter Pierce for costumes. Their work occasionally gives the movie a convincing futuristic atmosphere. Colorful lighting, rundown locations, black tactical clothing, and modern environments create the appearance of a dystopian world without requiring massive sets. The problem is that the production constantly reminds you how limited the budget is.
The action has the same problem. There are shootouts, futuristic combat, cybernetic abilities, and violent confrontations that occasionally suggest a much better movie hiding underneath. When the practical elements take over, some sequences have the rough energy of a 1990s direct-to-video action flick.
Unfortunately, the camera and editing often work against them, with extremely short shots, strange textures, low-resolution imagery, and abrupt transitions making the action difficult to follow. The heavy use of generative AI imagery is particularly distracting because a movie about the dangers of artificial intelligence ends up looking artificial itself.
There are, however, two actors who bring some much-needed energy whenever they appear. Harvey Keitel has a role as Eion, while Frank Grillo plays Benjamin with an exaggerated, almost self-aware attitude that fits the movie’s absurd sense of humor surprisingly well. Their appearances provide more personality than much of the main cast, and they give Kill Code a small burst of the old-school action-movie attitude it desperately needs.
Kill Code (Hard Matter) has the basic ingredients for a fun science-fiction action movie, but the budget and execution never allow those ideas to develop. It feels like a 1990s action concept rebuilt with modern AI technology, except without the stars, practical effects, or production resources that made those movies entertaining.
Fans of extremely low-budget futuristic action may find a few moments worth watching, especially when Keitel and Grillo appear, but most viewers will struggle to get through the digital clutter. I even spent part of the movie thinking Peter Stormare was Sean Bean, which says plenty about how little the production managed to distinguish its characters.
