The Kill Point


The Kill Point is an American television series that follows a group of U.S. Marines recently returned from serving in Iraq as they come together to pull off a major bank heist of a Three Rivers Bank branch in Pittsburgh. The series, produced by Mandeville Films and Lionsgate Television, is the first drama for the Spike TV network. The film of the series had the working title The Kill Pitt.
Most of the filming takes place in Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh while most of the sound stage filming takes place in a warehouse in Lawrenceville, a section of Pittsburgh.
A first person shooter game based on the show is available online from Kuma Reality Games.

Synopsis

Jake "Mr. Wolf" Mendez, an ex-Sergeant in the Marine Corps and his men, all former members of the "10-13", a military platoon that participated in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, enter a bank and successfully rob it. On their way to the getaway car, they come under fire from some law enforcement and private security personnel. Forced to retreat back into the bank when their getaway driver is wounded and their vehicle is disabled, they make hostages of the customers who failed to escape during the firefight.
The eight episode mini-series follows the plight of the robbers and hostages as the police, led by hostage negotiator Captain Horst Cali, attempt to end the stand off while elements of the "10-13" outside the bank and the father of one of the hostages work to help Mr. Wolf and his team escape.

Cast

Main

Crew

The series was executive produced by James DeMonaco, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Steve Shill. DeMonaco has dealt with hostage situations before in his script for The Negotiator. Directors include cable regular Steve Shill who the network hoped would help to establish their reputation for drama.

Critical response

Critics have characterised the show as familiar but watchable. Comparisons have been drawn to 1970s bank heist movies, Tarantino, The Nine and 24. Comparisons to The Nine have been favourable on the grounds that The Kill Point always has an ending in sight. Mr. Wolf's speeches to the crowd has been called "an Attica moment" and compared to Dog Day Afternoon.
The characters have been described as cliché by reviewers. However, the script has drawn praise for its subtlety and entertainment value. One reviewer felt that the running time allowed the cliched characters to be developed in more interesting directions.
The casting of the show has drawn particular praise. Reviewers have noted the cast members who have also worked on The Wire including Michael K. Williams, JD Williams, Leo Fitzpatrick and Michael Hyatt. The chemistry of the opposing roles of negotiator and hostage taker also drew praise for John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg as well as a surprising performance by Jeremy Davidson an unknown whose portrayal of a disturbed war veteran was very under-rated. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised local actor Bingo O'Malley.

Webisodes

Five webisodes featuring Steve Cirbus as Deke and Joshua Elijah Reese as Derzius were made available via Spike TV's website. They cover the activities of Deke and Derzius of 10/13 platoon outside the bank as they work to aid Mendez and company. The webisodes were written and directed by Josh Trank.

Cancellation

Despite healthy ratings and attaining the target demographic of male viewers, Spike decided not to renew the series for a second season.

Home release

The series was released on DVD in the United Kingdom in 2008.