A hit man walks into a bar and shoots a suicidal but apparently unkillable victim.

That’s essentially the plot of the twisty, ambitious Australian thriller “The Suicide Theory,” and it’s repeated with variations several times. The victim may lose an eyeball or some skin, but he always comes back alive.

And he’s always ready to talk about the experience with his would-be killer. Is it fate that saves him? Or karma, or predestination? And what kind of broken love affair sent him over the edge?

It sounds preposterous, and much of the movie is over the top, but the energy of the actors carries it for long stretches. Steve Mouzakis is especially strong as the killer in the early scenes, which establish just how far he’s willing to play this game. Leon Cain, as the unsuccessful self-killer, develops a rhythm with Mouzakis that suggests a Faustian bargain.

The confident director, Dru Brown, brings a noir-ish style to the picture that almost makes up for the logic lapses. You may laugh at “The Suicide Theory” as much as you laugh with it, but that’s not always a bad sign. As curiosities go, this one could belong in cult-movie heaven.
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“The Suicide Theory”

MPAA rating: R.