Killing Zoe (1994)

33% of critics liked it
(27 reviews)
63% of users liked it
(12,304 ratings)

An American ex-con gets caught up in a Parisian bank heist that goes wrong in this ultra-violent thriller. Zed (Eric Stoltz), a safe-cracking expert fresh out of prison, travels to France to participate in a robbery planned by his friend Eric (Jean-Hughes Anglade). But first, Zed decides to indulge… More An American ex-con gets caught up in a Parisian bank heist that goes wrong in this ultra-violent thriller. Zed (Eric Stoltz), a safe-cracking expert fresh out of prison, travels to France to participate in a robbery planned by his friend Eric (Jean-Hughes Anglade). But first, Zed decides to indulge in some relaxation with a gorgeous, kind-hearted prostitute by the name of Zoe (Julie Delpy). This idyll, however, is interrupted by Eric, who leads Zed and the other criminals on a long night of drinking, drugging, and debauchery. The next day, the thieves find themselves hung over and exhausted, and the plan soon goes disastrously wrong, turning into a hostage situation. Even worse for Zed, he discovers that the lovely Zoe also works as a teller at the bank, forcing him into a tricky moral dilemma. Writer and director Roger Avary, best known as the co-screenwriter of Pulp Fiction, creates a similar combination of black comedy, extreme violence, and hip attitude. Critics of Quentin Tarantino's films raised similar objections to Avary's reliance on bloody violence and a detached sensibility, while the film's fans acclaimed its fast-paced action. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Roger Avary
Written By: Roger Avary
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Aug 31, 1994 Wide
On DVD: Aug 15, 2000
Studio: Live Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
I am not slamming this Roger Avary film for not being a Quentin Tarantino film. I am slamming it for not being a good Roger Avary film.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
An ultra-violent but vapid crime caper that owes as much to Tarantino as to film noir, both American and French.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A bummer.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
An ugly, mean movie that represents the low point for Tarantino knockoffs -- and Tarantino actually produced it!

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Conner R

Roger Avery's completely subtle masterpiece of a bank heist epic. The story is incredibly well crafted and eccentric, without having any of Tarantino's stink all over it (which ruined Pulp Fiction for me). The filming style is quite original, but also homages classics like… More
Roger Avery's completely subtle masterpiece of a bank heist epic. The story is incredibly well crafted and eccentric, without having any of Tarantino's stink all over it (which ruined Pulp Fiction for me). The filming style is quite original, but also homages classics like Dog Day Afternoon. The acting was extremely above average for a low budget, including one of Eric Stoltz's best performances.
Anthony L

Nothing original here. A good cast wasted (No pun intended). Has Roger Avary even been to Paris?
Chris W

A thoroughly entertaining and stylish B-movie heist caper, but the balance between pros and cons isn't quite equal enough to warrant a strong recommendation.
Lady D

Directed by Roger Avery, Produced by Quentin Tarantino, amidst the height of the 90?s Cult drug fuelled storylines, topped with violent criminals and a chaotic bank robbery. Some pretty good camera shot interpretations and probably the role Eric Stoltz is best known for (apart… More
Directed by Roger Avery, Produced by Quentin Tarantino, amidst the height of the 90?s Cult drug fuelled storylines, topped with violent criminals and a chaotic bank robbery. Some pretty good camera shot interpretations and probably the role Eric Stoltz is best known for (apart from his smaller role in Pulp Fiction that is). Certainly not flawless and perhaps the one that has dated more than some of the other within this genre and era, but one woth watching.
Curtis L

Pretty fun bank-robbery-gone-wrong film. Nothing new to the genera, but very entertaining. The main villian Eric was a pretty terrible person, which makes for a great antagonist. Moral of the story?: Be nice to prostitutes, because they may save your life in a hostile situtation.
Dean M

A stylistic departure from the typical Quentin Tarantino veuvre, this thriller film foregoes the smartarse hijinx and violence of <i>True Romance</i> and <i>Pulp Fiction</i> for a more understand, but no less violent, arthouse visual style.
Michael G

A really cool movie, but it kind of loses a little something for me every time I see it.
xGary X

One of a host of Tarantino imitators that appeared in the feeding frenzy after the success of Reservoir Dogs, this is not the best or the worst. Decent heist movie with a lacklustre cast and slightly irritating gimmicky camera work. OK
Marcus W

Tarantino has no middle ground. He writes brilliantly or he writes shit. This was clearly an early draft for Reservoir Dogs that should have been deleted and forgotten and thrown away. It's nothing more than drug-abuse and a bank robbery. The titular "Zoe" is never in… More
Tarantino has no middle ground. He writes brilliantly or he writes shit. This was clearly an early draft for Reservoir Dogs that should have been deleted and forgotten and thrown away. It's nothing more than drug-abuse and a bank robbery. The titular "Zoe" is never in any danger at all and I found it hard to believe they fell in love after one shag. Imagine the bank robbery at the start of The Dark Knight, drag that out to what feels like three hours, then have everyone over act. It wants to be cool, but it fails miserably.
Ashton R

This flick would have been fairly boring if it wasn't for a great performance by Jean-Hugues Anglade. In my opinion he made the movie with his amazing ability to act completely crazy and yet pull it off so it didn't seem over-the-top or ridiculous. His charisma was… More
This flick would have been fairly boring if it wasn't for a great performance by Jean-Hugues Anglade. In my opinion he made the movie with his amazing ability to act completely crazy and yet pull it off so it didn't seem over-the-top or ridiculous. His charisma was mezmerizing, and I think that he definitely stole the whole movie. Although it is quite a clever heist film (the masks were a nice touch) with pretty cool cinematography, it wouldn't have been nearly ast entertaining without Jean.