Eddie Jemison (Ocean's Trilogy films, Bruce Almighty) leads a terrific cast in Nathan Marshall's darkly comical Coffee, Kill Boss available now through Devolver Digital Films and through most of your popular VOD outlets.

The film stars Jemison as Henry Wood, whose normal day at the office is hijacked by a sadistic killer who kicks off the day by killing the company's president (Academy Award nominee Robert Forster) shortly before he's to lead the company through a potential acquisition that will make members of management rich beyond their wildest dreams. With a seductive temp (Noureen DeWulf, television's Anger Management) by his side, Henry must find the killer before the killer finds him.

With a script by Sigurd Ueland (Space Hospital), Coffee, Kill Boss benefits from a collection of some of Holllywood's best characters actors who create a frequently hilariously and relentlessly dark comedy with the chaos of Clue and the irreverence and underlying hostility of Office Space. The film won nearly a dozen awards on the film festival circuit including Best Comedy Feature at the Eugene International Film Festival, Best Feature Film at the Maryland International Film Festival, Opening Night Feature at the Austin Film Festival and multiple prizes at both Comedy Ninja Film Festival and Gwinnett Center International Film Festival.

Eddie Jemison, while a respected character actor, has never quite gotten the notice he deserves and Coffee, Kill Boss reminds us that this is one talented guy with a gift for comedy that works quite nicely alongside Forster, who makes the most out of playing a dead guy. Noureen DeWulf seems to thrive in getting the chance to play something other than the hot girl and certainly makes the most of it. Richard Riehle and Peter Breitmayer are also as rock solid as usual.

Fans of dark comedy will fund much to appreciate with Coffee, Kill Boss with its office politics satire and director Nathan Marshall's absolute willingness to amp up the volume as each murder in the office unfolds. To his and Ueland's credit, it's never 100% sure where the film is going and where this is all going to end up. Marshall is an Emmy-nominated writer/director who serves up notice with Coffee, Kill Boss that his will be a fresh and original cinematic voice on the scene. The same is true for Ueland, who penned this script while still a student and who has a nice ability to create actual characters amidst the darkly satirical world that he creates here.

Coffee, Kill Boss is the kind of film that leaves you laughing for days after the screening, sort of a slow-building giggle, maybe a chortle, that leaves the people wondering about your sanity as you laugh your hyena-like laugh and remember everything that unfolded. Fortunately, you can catch the film for yourself at Devolver Digital films and maybe you'll find yourself wondering, like I did, how Hollywood can keep churning out such drivel while original, entertaining works like this one never quite find the audience they deserve.

Let's change that. Okay?

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic