Cada vez es más complicado saber qué pasa en Rusia, aunque hayan llegado en las últimas semanas películas para arrojar algo de luz como El mago del Kremlin. Aun así, no hace falta indagar mucho para imaginar qué estaba viendo el director Kirill Sokolov en el año 2003. La influencia de Kill Bill en particular y de Quentin Tarantino en general entró como un elefante en una cacharrería en casa del cineasta ruso, que originalmente iba a ser físico y que ha terminado convirtiéndose en una de las voces más interesantes del terror en Rusia, hasta el punto de que era inevitable que terminase desembarcando donde mejor podía funcionar su cine, en la cuna de las patadas voladoras y los charcos de sangre.

En el corazón de Nueva York se ambienta Te van a matar, primer proyecto de Sokolov fuera de Rusia tras las sorprendentes ¿Por qué no te mueres? y Sin mirar atrás, que le labraron un nombre en su país pero que sobre todo atrajeron la atención de los hermanos Barbara y Andy Muschietti, las mentes detrás de Mamá o Bienvenidos a Derry y quienes se embarcan en su primera aventura producida bajo el sello de terror Nocturna, asociado a la gigantesca Skydance, pero de la que seguro saldrán títulos tan interesantes y frescos como este. Curiosamente, Te van a matar se parece mucho más a las películas violentas de Asia que al terror que podrían hacer los Muschietti, pero quizá ha sido ese contraste lo que les ha convencido para apostar por Sokolov. En cualquier caso, hay una cosa que permanece común en ambos y no es otra que el humor, muy presente a lo largo del desfile de hígados, ojos y otras vísceras por los pasillos del hotel.

En ese hotel transcurre por completo la historia de Te van a matar, centrada en el ascenso a los infiernos de Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz), una joven exconvicta que se adentra en el complejo haciéndose pasar por empleada del hogar para intentar encontrar a su hermana, a la que perdió diez años atrás intentando escapar de su abusivo padre. Para aterradora sorpresa, el staff del hotel tampoco es del todo el que dice ser, ya que Asia se convierte en el objetivo de un culto satánico que lleva operando décadas sin levantar sospechas, pero que encontrará en Asia un hueso duro de roer.

El hotel de los horrores

Por más neoyorquino que pueda parecer el Virgil que acoge la historia, lo cierto es que la semilla remite a la madre Rusia, en concreto al edificio de pisos en el que vivía originalmente Sokolov junto a su mujer. “Enseguida nos dimos cuenta de que éramos los únicos dos menores de 65 años. La mayoría de los demás inquilinos eran ancianas solitarias. Pasaban todo el día dando de comer a los gatos callejeros y, cada vez que salías o volvías, cotilleaban y hablaban de ti. Esta tensión fue creciendo cada vez más, y mi mujer y yo empezamos a bromear diciendo que era una secta que vendría a por nosotros en algún momento”, contaba el director en una entrevista, una inspiración que cristalizó por completo con el visionado, cómo no, de La semilla del diablo, la película de Roman Polanski que revolucionó el terror en los años 60 y que plasmaba como ninguna el horror claustrofóbico y el miedo a las sectas.

De forma mucho más ligera y desenfadada ha querido encarar Sokolov esta película, que se recrea en sus secuencias de acción intentando emular a Tarantino con un hacha en lugar de katanas, pero con el mismo baño de sangre. “La historia empieza con un tono bastante realista, pero a medida que avanza, se vuelve cada vez más alocada. Por eso quise cambiar el lenguaje visual y el estilo para que se viera y se sintiera más alocada a medida que la historia se vuelve más alocada. Partimos de una historia clásica, casi al estilo de La semilla del diablo, y luego damos un giro hacia la realidad de Kill Bill y la de Sam Raimi. Fue una progresión interesante con la que jugar, e intentamos que cada transición fuera fluida e imperceptible“, reconocía Sokolov, mencionando también el anime Afro Samurai como punto clave de referencia.

Reina del grito (y del hacha)

Lo cierto es que lo mejor de Te van a matar es precisamente ese inicio en el que las piezas comienzan a encajarse dentro del puzle, pues una vez el espectador se encuentra en el mismo punto que la protagonista y todas las cartas se ponen sobre la mesa, la violencia crece pero la intriga desaparece. Un giro que, sin desvelar mucho, alude directamente a la isla de Epstein y que viene a confirmar lo agotada que está la fórmula del eat the rich que lleva trabajando la ficción audiovisual en los últimos años, desde El triángulo de la tristeza o El menú hasta Noche de bodas, que precisamente tendrá su continuación la próxima semana.

A pesar de todo, cabe destacar la presencia de Zazie Beetz, imponente protagonista hasta el punto de opacar a los no tan trabajados personajes de Tom Felton o Heather Graham, otrora secundarios de lujo en Boogie Nights y Austin Powers por un lado, y como el icónico Draco Malfoy de Harry Potter por otro, cuando no la dueña del hotel interpretada por Patricia Arquette. La actriz que brillase en la serie Atlanta y que ya tenía experiencia con los cuchillos de su paso por Marvel con Deadpool derrocha carisma por los cuatro costados mientras salta y se desliza en su festival de sangre, coreografiado al más puro estilo John Wick pero que por momentos se puede hacer algo repetitivo en una película que, precisamente por divertida y cómica, deja con un sabor a poco en su conclusión, aunque, tal y como promete su director, quizá falte aún universo por recorrer.

Uganda’s military chief has warned the African country’s armed forces could enter the Iran war on Israel’s side after issuing a series of statements on social media that went viral this week.

Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba — son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni — who is considered to be his likely successor, has spent this week making a barrage of posts on X in support of Israel.

«We stand with Israel because we are Christians,» he wrote, adding in another post, «Uganda is the David that was forgotten and neglected by the world. We will defeat the giant, Goliath.»

INSIDE THE ISRAELI DRONE UNIT TAKING ON IRAN AND HEZBOLLAH

Kainerugaba began his social media blitz with, «We want the war in the Middle East to end now. The world is tired of it. But any talk of destroying or defeating Israel will bring us into the war. On the side of Israel!»

Uganda has 45,000 active military personnel in the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF), with around 35,000 reserves, according to its ministry of defense. It’s estimated to have approximately 240 tanks and over 1,000 armored fighting vehicles.

The nation is also heavily involved militarily in conflict-affected countries. Its soldiers fight as part of an African Union force against Islamist al-Shabab terrorists in Somalia. Their army is also still operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) against the Islamic State-linked ADF terrorist group.

While Iran is not known to have any interests in Uganda, it has been accused of covert operations in neighboring Kenya and Tanzania, including the running of smuggling networks and making controversial diplomatic and economic outreach with questionable motives throughout the region. Although landlocked, Uganda is said to be wary of Iran’s strategic interest in gaining a presence in the regional waters of the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

NEXT MOVE ON IRAN: SEIZE KHARG ISLAND, SECURE URANIUM OR RISK GROUND WAR ESCALATION

In another post he stated, «Israel stood with us when we were nobodies in the 1980s and 1990s. Why wouldn’t we defend her now that our GDP is $100 billion? One of the largest in Africa.»

Israel has historically trained Ugandan forces, including the general. It is understood that Uganda maintains a strong strategic partnership with Israel, with close security and intelligence ties.

Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel, Oct. 9, 2023.  (Amir Cohen/Reuters)

It wasn’t always like this. In 1976, with dictator Idi Amin aggressively opposing Israel, four terrorists hijacked Air France Flight 139 on its way from Tel Aviv to France. The plane was diverted to Entebbe Airport in Uganda. During the night of July 3, 1976, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) mounted a long-range rescue mission, originally codenamed Operation Thunderbolt, to rescue 106 mostly Israeli hostages being held.

The mission was retroactively renamed Operation Yonatan after the mission’s leader, Lt. Col. Yonatan «Yoni» Netanyahu, the elder brother of the current Israeli Prime Minister, was killed by a Ugandan sniper during the raid. The Israeli soldiers pulled off a successful rescue, but four hostages, seven hijackers and 45 Ugandan soldiers were killed.

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Kainerugaba announced that in a further gesture of goodwill toward Israel, he intends to have a statue of Yonatan Netanyahu erected at the exact spot in Entebbe’s airport where he fell. This week, Kainerugaba posted a photo of the statue on X, dubbing it «a sneak peek.»

A group fighting to get Virginia voters to approve an April 21 referendum to let Democrats in the state redraw its congressional maps is being pumped with liberal cash, receiving over $38 million from less than a dozen left-wing entities over the last three months, including from the George Soros-backed Fund For Policy Reform Inc.

The Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) tracks state spending in Virginia and, according to its database, Virginians for Fair Elections has received $5 million from the Soros-funded and founded entity, which is within his Open Society Foundations Network of groups known for pushing liberal causes. 

Soros’ latest cause is a massive gerrymandering effort in Virginia, where the state’s congressional delegation could go from effectively 6 Democrats and 5 Republicans, to 10-Democratic-leaning districts and one Republican-leaning district, per VPAP. Virginians for Fair Elections is one of the main vehicles pushing Virginia voters to vote «yes» on April 21 to redraw the state’s maps. Virginia’s decision to redraw its maps came after mid-decade redistricting efforts by Republicans in Texas, which significantly changed the state’s electoral maps.

VIRGINIA DEM ADMITS REDISTRICTING PUSH AIMS TO ‘STOP TRUMP’, NOT ABOUT ‘FAIRNESS’

Tens of millions of dollars have been pumped into the state of Virginia ahead of the April 21 referendum vote, with the vast majority going to the Democratic side of the issue.

Besides money from Soros’ network, in 2026, Virginians for Fair elections received $20 million from the nonprofit counterpart of House Democrats’ House Majority PAC, $100,000 from Sen. Tim Kaine’s, D-Va., leadership PAC, a little over $10 million from the progressive nonprofit that funds ballot initiatives nationwide, The Fairness Project, almost $500,000 from the Democratic Party of Virginia, $1 million from the Global Impact Social Welfare Fund, $1 million from a group called American Opportunity Action, and then several other smaller donations from wealthy liberal backers.

The main group opposing redistricting, Virginians For Fair Maps, has only raised a little over $3 million from just two donors in 2026. $560,000 came from the Republican Party of Virginia while the remaining $2.5 million came from a group by the same name, Virginians for Fair Maps, according to VPAP. 

OBAMA ENDORSES VIRGINIA REDISTRICTING CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT THAT COULD HELP DEMS GAIN 4 SEATS

If passed, HB 863 would eliminate minimum sentencing for manslaughter, rape, possession and distribution of child pornography, assaulting a law enforcement officer and other repeat violent felonies.   (iStock)

Despite the fundraising advantage, the referendum is still expected to be close. Since polls opened March 6 for early voting, turnout in Republican-heavy counties has been high compared to the state’s election turnout in November, when Democrats performed very well and Spanberger took over the Governor’s mansion, while Jones took over the attorney general’s Office.

Democrats in the state have reportedly been urging Spanberger to get more assertive in the redistricting effort.

Democrat Beth Macy, who is running for Congress in one of the five House districts currently held by Republicans, said Virginia Democrats «gotta stop bringing a spork to a knife fight,» according to Politico. She added that it would be «helpful» for Spanberger «to be the spokesperson on redistricting because she did so well and won by so much.»

Soros’ network of groups and PACs has also been a powerful force behind supporting dozens of far-left district attorneys, such as the formerly recalled San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, Chicago’s Kim Foxx, and L.A.’s George Gascon. In 2022, 1 in 5 Americans were represented by a Soros-linked prosecutor, according to data from the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund. 

In Virginia, Soros’ Democracy PAC donated at least $500K to help Spanberger become governor and to help Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, who fantasized about killing his Republican rival and his family, get elected. His PACs have also donated millions to the campaign coffers of far-left district attorneys in Virginia.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger offers the Democratic response to the State of the Union. (Mike Kropf/Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital reached out to Soros’ Open Society Foundations and the other top donors pumping millions into the redistricting battle, but did not receive a response from Soros’ group ahead of publication.

«No one wanted to take this action, but in a democracy, we can’t let entire states rig their congressional maps just to bend to the will of one person. We have to respond. This amendment is a temporary, one-time exception that gives Virginia voters a voice and meets the needs of the current moment, while ensuring Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting process will resume after the 2030 census,» Alexis Magnan-Callaway, a spokesperson for The Fairness Project, told Fox News digital. 

«The ballot measure allows Virginia voters, not politicians, to decide for themselves whether they want new, temporary districts,» she continued. «This isn’t about favoring one party over another. This is about restoring fairness across the board by temporarily changing Virginia’s congressional districts.»