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Kill Code

Judge. Executioner. Freedom.

202687 minMidcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Director
Justin Price
Starring
Frank Grillo, Harvey Keitel, Tyrese Gibson, Peter Stormare

North America has been divided into four main quadrants. A power-hungry corporation has taken over the conventional prison system and made criminals the new law enforcers. The owner of that corporation, nanoscientist Eion Prescott, created a nano-virus called Onyx. Which is distributed through deadly watches to criminals. First, infecting them. Then, forcing them into eliminating each other for freedom. Who can topple the corporation's entire system from within?

Where to watch

Where can I watch Kill Code?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Kill Code to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video, and on no subscription service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Kill Code?

Kill Code earns 1 badge: Big Budget.

Reception

Is Kill Code worth watching?

Kill Code's Midcredits score is the 52nd percentile of all films, from 4.5K ratings across 4 sources. 81% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

52nd percentile

Better received than 52% of films

68th percentile among Action53rd percentile among 2020s
Acclaim (how much people like it)12th
Approval (how many liked it)91st

47 /100

12th percentile of all films

21st percentile among Action14th percentile among 2020s

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

Approval

How many liked it

81% liked it

91st percentile of all films

94th percentile among Action91st percentile among 2020s
81% rated it 7–1019% rated it 1–6

90th percentile

4.5K ratings across platforms

81st percentile among Action91st percentile among 2020s
TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 10% in 30 days

Box office

Worldwide gross$32K

11th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A low-budget cyberpunk film with a strong premise and ambitious world-building that fails to fully execute its story and suffers from uneven production quality.

Fans praised

  • World-building that feels lived-in and coherent
  • Franzi Schissler's screen presence with both physicality and emotional range
  • Ambitious cyberpunk vision with cohesive production design

Detractors panned

  • Incoherent, scrambled plot that makes little sense
  • Heavy reliance on obvious AI-generated visuals that look cheap and break immersion
  • Terrible editing, pacing, and direction

What stands out

AtmosphereDivisive55

Strong cyberpunk tone and cohesive world for fans; cheap AI ruins immersion for detractors

OriginalityDivisive50

Interesting Blade Runner/Running Man premise but derivative and badly remodeled

ActingDivisive45

Cast of recognizable actors but performances called stiff and painful; Schissler praised, others criticized

CinematographyDivisive40

Some strong compositions but amateurish framing and washed-out look

CharactersDivisive35

Underwritten with no development; Elera shown as emotionally layered by fans

Effects and spectacleDivisive25

Relentless cheap AI visuals that look disconnected from live action

Plot and storyDivisive20

Scrambled, incoherent, non-linear with no clear thread

Dialogue15

Cheesy, out-of-context, and drowned out by loud music

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • US vs non-US 5 points apart

Watch experience

What is Kill Code like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Dark and unsettling: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you want something dark that stays with you.

It leaves you unsettled.

Themes

  • Oppression
  • Freedom
  • Survival

Setting

  • Near future
  • Urban
  • Institutional

Style

  • Brutal
  • Bleak

What it asks of you

  • Even-paced
  • Engaged
  • Easy watch
  • Resolved

The answer rests on this: Feelings

  • Tense
  • Thrilling

The answer rests on this: How it leaves you

  • Unsettling
  • Infuriating: Leaves you angry at an injustice the film shows, never at the film.

Story

  • Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.
ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Nothing out of the ordinary.

What it feels like

Dark and unsettling.

Heaviest: late
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film plays its dystopian corporate-future action premise straight and earnest, with no irony: grim, violent and unsmiling about its own material.
The rideThe oppressive setup and forced violence generate ongoing tension, with the heaviest emotional weight likely falling on the final confrontation.
StructureThe synopsis implies a conventional dystopian action plot told in order; reviews call the storytelling scrambled, but that reads as poor execution rather than a deliberate structural device.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Unsettled.

Why it leaves you this wayThe grim image of a corporation forcing criminals to butcher each other for freedom lingers as an uneasy, angry aftertaste beyond the action.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% (this title) · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Corporate villainy: A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).

21% of films fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe premise casts a power-hungry corporation as the monster and a rebel criminal insider as the one who must topple it, matching the corporate_villainy subtype of overcoming_the_monster; the thin synopsis keeps the fit loose.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7% (this title): Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% (this title) · Freedom 5% (this title)
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15% (this title): Survival 17% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Power

Oppression · 4% of filmsFreedom · 5% of filmsSurvival
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Societal stakes: Consequences reach a whole social order.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film is about a corporation's lethal control over a criminal underclass, and one person's fight to break free of it, with the death-watch scheme keeping survival a constant pressure.
StanceThe film warns about corporate power and systemic corruption by showing their brutal consequences.

The world

Orchestral modernSupportive music · original score · Aldo Shllaku
Settinga crime-ravaged future city where a corporation controls criminals via lethal watches
MusicAn electronic-orchestral score likely underscores the action and dystopian atmosphere.

Content guide

Is Kill Code okay for kids?

Ratings in 3 other countries
  • AustraliaMA 15+
  • South Korea19
  • RO15

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does Kill Code have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Kill Code?

Cast

Frank Grillo
as Benjamin
Harvey Keitel
as Eion
Tyrese Gibson
as Lukas
Peter Stormare
Jacob Artist
as Kyron
J.J. Soria
as Daxon
Brett Cullen
as Sawyer
Lance E. Nichols
as Cameron
Anthony Michael Frederick
as Patrick
Brian Kurlander
as Robert

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Kill Code?

Movies like Kill Code include Sleep Dealer (2008), The Purge: Election Year (2016) and Rollerball (1975). Of the 12 closest matches, most are cyberpunk films, and half are stories of corporate villainy.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

11 of these 12 share its world: dystopian. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Kill Code?

140 other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: cyberpunk. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.