Taji Mag Exclusive: Zazie Beetz Talks They Will Kill You at BlerdCon

Her new film They Will Kill You has Beetz playing Asia Reaves, an ex-convict posing as a new maid. She seems innocent and sweet at first, but little do the antagonists know that while they think they have her locked in with them, they’re actually locked in with her.

Taji Mag was at BlerdCon and got the chance to watch 20 minutes of the film, and it was awesome. From her martial arts melee moves to the dope soundtrack blaring in the background, what else but “Bloody Samurai” by Black Knights, Dexter Wiggles, RZA, and Thea Van Seijen from the Afro Samurai soundtrack, Beetz goes to work on her enemies. At one point, she even walks a man down as he fears for his life, realizing he messed up and definitely found out.

As for the scenes themselves, they were put together really well by Kirill Sokolov. The shadows and tone help create this strong horror element, while the creaks from the floorboards and random sounds keep our protagonist on edge. It makes for some really effective filmmaking.

The BlerdCon crowd cheered and thoroughly enjoyed the footage. I’ll admit, I was getting excited myself seeing a natural-haired Black woman whooping ass and calling names. The film definitely carries a vintage kung fu vibe, with a very intriguing hero at the center of it all.

If the BlerdCon reaction is any reflection of the box office, They Will Kill You could be both a hit and a cult classic, because this film looks like it has a lot to offer. After the 20-minute screening and Q&A with Beetz, Taji Mag had the chance to chat with her about the film, stepping into a lineage of Blaxploitation heroines like Foxy Brown, and what she learned about herself while playing this role.