The Devil Comes to Kansas City 2023 movie review: How do you sell your soul to the devil for a corny plot?

• Plot: When a farmer has a burning deadline to save.

• Bottom line: When the plot goes to hell….. literally

Here it is, a movie with the tantalizing title The Devil Comes to Kansas City. And it seems like it should sound at least threatening, but in fact it’s more like an invitation to a provincial tourist attraction. The gist is clear: the plot centers on a farmer with a war record, turned father of the year (spoiler: briefly), who makes a deal with the devil himself. Desperately trying to sell this as a powerful action movie with a moral, the movie falls flat on every level. Now – fasten your seatbelts and let’s see what they were trying to shock us with.

Plot: When a farmer’s got a burning deadline to save.

So, meet Paul Wilson. A simple man, a loving husband, a good citizen and a farmer. Lives in Iowa, grows crops, runs in the morning – just like any mortgage counselor’s dream. Everything would be fine, but trouble came from where they didn’t expect it. Paul’s wife and daughter go to Kansas City for a concert, where, naturally, they meet not music and fun, but a crowd of human traffickers. The meeting ends sadly: the wife is killed, the daughter is kidnapped. Well, Paul, of course, takes a course for revenge.

The clichéd plot chain starts instantly. The poor farmer can’t go to the police (because in the movies the police can never do anything), but he remembers perfectly that he was once a professional killer. And, of course, instead of the usual approach of calling a lawyer, he decides to sign a contract with the devil, who, by the way, looks more like an insurance salesman than a universal evil.

And that’s where the magic (in quotes) begins: Paul gets superpowers, including immortality and the ability to be as annoying a character as possible. In exchange for his soul, he becomes a deadly machine and starts wrecking everyone on his way to his daughter.

The final act is an extravaganza of blood, random phrases about morality, and so many ridiculous deaths that even the most devoted Taken fan will shake their head sadly. All to show that Kansas City is a city where the devil doesn’t work, but has fun. Really, don’t expect any coherent denouement. It ends as pointlessly as it began.

Bottom line: When the plot goes to hell….. literally

We have already talked a little about the plot, but it is worth adding that the whole story reminds not of a dark parable about a corrupt soul, but of a script written overnight, and on a bet. The plot is very simple: there is a farmer with a dark past, his family is taken from him, and suddenly he remembers what it is like to be a killing machine. For added pepper, the hero makes a deal with the devil to gain superpowers. Sound interesting? Alas, only on paper.

The main problem is the complete lack of internal logic. Paul Wilson instantly turns from a decent family man into a bloodthirsty vigilante, and no one, including himself, asks unnecessary questions. What drives this character? Revenge? Guilt? A desire to get his daughter back? The movie never bothers to explain it.

Secondary characters, such as former coworker Randall or the Devil himself (played by Kirk Fox), seem to exist only to fill screen time. The Devil, by the way, looks so unremarkable that you’d like to give him a sign saying: I am Satan, believe me.

Ben Gavin as Paul Wilson tries to look stern, but it seems that his character doesn’t understand how he ended up in this movie. In the beginning, he has the frozen face of a respectable family man, then the same face, but with a grim grimace.

Kirk Fox, as the Devil, seems to be just joking about the whole thing. His cursed businessman evokes neither fear nor interest – only a slight desire to press the button to skip the scene.

The movie The Devil Comes to Kansas City tries to be multi-layered: it’s simultaneously an action, mystery, drama and thriller. But it ultimately fails on all fronts. The plot wobbles under the weight of its own absurdities, the characters are cardboard, and the moral issues are presented in such a straightforward manner that you begin to question whether it’s worth making sense at all.

Opinion: despite all the bumps and rough edges, the movie looks like a confident b-movie experiment. But only for those who are willing to enjoy a poorly filmed Faust with a human trafficking theme, where the devil looks more like a used car salesman.

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