Killer Heat (2024) Review: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley Lead the Drab Murder Mystery

On paper, Killer Heat looks like a potential murder mystery worth checking out. It boasts a solid cast of familiar faces including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley and Richard Madden. Not to mention the story is based on Jo Nesbø’s short story The Jealousy Man, the acclaimed Norwegian author known for his bestselling Harry Hole crime novel series.

And yet, the movie suffers from hollow storytelling, even with Roberto Bentivegna (2021’s House of Gucci) and Matt Charman’s (2015’s Bridge of Spies) adapted screenplay opens with the death of a character. That character in question is Leo Vardakis (Richard Madden) as he goes free solo scaling the rocks, only to end up falling off a cliff. It may look like an accident but Leo’s sister-in-law, Penelope (Shailene Woodley) suspects something is not right about his death.

So, she brings in a former cop-turned-private investigator named Nick Bali (Joseph-Gordon Levitt), an American expat arriving in Crete to investigate the mysterious death of Leo Vardakis. Nick Bali is your garden-variety protagonist straight out of the assembly line usually seen in a noir-style murder mystery: a cynical PI with a troubled past related to his family life with his estranged wife, Monique played by Abbey Lee. And he drinks a lot too, drowning his sorrow with booze whenever he’s not on the job. I was expecting Shailene Woodley to play a femme fatale, given the movie’s genre conventions but that isn’t the case here in Killer Heat. Instead, Woodley’s role downplays the seductive side in favour of a vulnerable character showcasing more on her nuanced acting prowess rather than baring lots of skin (even though the movie does include a brief sex scene and Woodley in a striking red bikini).

Back to the story, Madden plays the dual role of identical twins Leo and Elias. The latter doesn’t feel comfortable with Nick snooping around and asking questions. It’s a pity that Madden’s character is disappointingly wooden and then, there’s the dull storyline, where director Philippe Lacôte barely does more to elevate the mundane tone of the movie.

The pace remains in neutral gear as it plods along the 97-minute length with Levitt’s ocassional monotonous voiceover narration making me feel like I’m listening to a bedtime story rather than invested in his perspective. The whodunit story is lacklustre, resulting in a padded-out narrative with some flashbacks about the characters’ backstories to fill in the blanks. But nothing much really happens and I figure it would benefit more if plenty of red herrings were thrown in to keep things interesting.

As Killer Heat drags on with mostly stilted dialogues, the only reasons that keep me watching are Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who also serves as one of the executive producers and Shailene Woodley, both of which did their best here in their respective roles as Nick Bali and Penelope. The movie looks visually gorgeous with kudos to Andrew Dunn’s cinematography shot on location in scenic Crete, Greece while Joseph Shirley’s atmospheric string-laden score complements the noir genre.

The story does come alive in the third act once the truth unfolds, leading to a few twists. Except it was too little and too late, and by the time it’s over, Killer Heat feels like a missed opportunity. Ironically, this isn’t the first time a movie based on Jo Nesbø’s story ends up with a whimper. Going back seven years ago, there was one called The Snowman, which wasted its otherwise star-studded cast with a sluggish plot and severe lack of tension. Finally, for a murder mystery bearing the title Killer Heat, there’s little heat to generate enough interest to turn the movie into a commendable effort.

Killer Heat is currently streaming on Prime Video.