Female Assassins: Kate, The Protege, Gunpowder Milkshake
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KATE (2021)
netflix.com
The action/thriller film, Kate landed on Nextflix last night to terrible reviews. Based on various Female Assassin films, I think this one is actually one of the better ones. Sure, it’s not breaking new grounds: the assassin with a heart of gold, the assassin with nothing to lose (she has less than 24 hours to live), and the assassin trying to find out the mystery behind her “last job before retiring”.
I thought director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan did a fine job with the script he was given. I like the hyper-stylized action sequences, obviously highly influenced by Japanese manga. Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead did a great job in the role of Kate, although I find the name of the film rather boring. They should’ve named the film “Seasonal”, which is her assassin name they reference before she was poisoned.
Woody Harrelson, plays Kate’s trainer and handler, and the first time I saw him in the film, I pegged him as the mastermind behind Kate’s final killing spree. Surely it couldn’t be that obvious?
There is a slow down in the plot when Kate has to kidnap Kijima’s neice, Ani, at a Band-Maid concert, to lure the Yakuza boss out of hiding. The unlikely teamup of Ani and Kate becomes almost like a bad comedy.
Critics compared Kate to John Wick or Kill Bill, but I think a better comparison is to La Femme Nikita, particularly when you saw the flashback with Kate’s first assassin mission.
Synopsis
netflix.com
The action/thriller film, Kate landed on Nextflix last night to terrible reviews. Based on various Female Assassin films, I think this one is actually one of the better ones. Sure, it’s not breaking new grounds: the assassin with a heart of gold, the assassin with nothing to lose (she has less than 24 hours to live), and the assassin trying to find out the mystery behind her “last job before retiring”.
I thought director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan did a fine job with the script he was given. I like the hyper-stylized action sequences, obviously highly influenced by Japanese manga. Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead did a great job in the role of Kate, although I find the name of the film rather boring. They should’ve named the film “Seasonal”, which is her assassin name they reference before she was poisoned.
Woody Harrelson, plays Kate’s trainer and handler, and the first time I saw him in the film, I pegged him as the mastermind behind Kate’s final killing spree. Surely it couldn’t be that obvious?
There is a slow down in the plot when Kate has to kidnap Kijima’s neice, Ani, at a Band-Maid concert, to lure the Yakuza boss out of hiding. The unlikely teamup of Ani and Kate becomes almost like a bad comedy.
Critics compared Kate to John Wick or Kill Bill, but I think a better comparison is to La Femme Nikita, particularly when you saw the flashback with Kate’s first assassin mission.
Synopsis
Slipped a fatal poison on her final job, a ruthless assassin working in Tokyo has less than 24 hours to find out who ordered the hit and exact revenge.
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THE PROTÉGÉ (2021)
protege.movie
I think a lot of action fans really liked The Protégé from Lionsgate, but I had some problems with it. We’ll get into that later.
The Protégé is a story about Anna (played by Maggie Q), an assassin seeking revenge for the murder of her mentor/father figure Moody (played by Samuel L Jackson). Along her journey back to Vietnam, she meets her rival, another assassin called Rembrandt (played by Michael Keaton). I had no problems with the cast, but I think it’s rather the tone of the movie. All the action seemed like a joke, like the characters knows they’re bullet proof or something so the audience never really think the main characters are ever in trouble. That goes for all three major leads. That’s my main problem, never once did I believe any of these actors can fight. Even if the actors did their own stunts, I just didn’t buy it as an audience.
My other problem is that for a movie to take place in Vietnam, it sure didn’t look like it. In fact, none of the actors appearing in the third act of the film were even Vietnamese (or Asian)! I know this probably has something to do with COVID restrictions of shooting in another country, but at least employ Asian-looking henchmens.
I think the movie is fine, but I probably won’t be buying the Bluray when it comes out.
Synopsis
protege.movie
I think a lot of action fans really liked The Protégé from Lionsgate, but I had some problems with it. We’ll get into that later.
The Protégé is a story about Anna (played by Maggie Q), an assassin seeking revenge for the murder of her mentor/father figure Moody (played by Samuel L Jackson). Along her journey back to Vietnam, she meets her rival, another assassin called Rembrandt (played by Michael Keaton). I had no problems with the cast, but I think it’s rather the tone of the movie. All the action seemed like a joke, like the characters knows they’re bullet proof or something so the audience never really think the main characters are ever in trouble. That goes for all three major leads. That’s my main problem, never once did I believe any of these actors can fight. Even if the actors did their own stunts, I just didn’t buy it as an audience.
My other problem is that for a movie to take place in Vietnam, it sure didn’t look like it. In fact, none of the actors appearing in the third act of the film were even Vietnamese (or Asian)! I know this probably has something to do with COVID restrictions of shooting in another country, but at least employ Asian-looking henchmens.
I think the movie is fine, but I probably won’t be buying the Bluray when it comes out.
Synopsis
Rescued as a child by the legendary assassin Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) and trained in the family business, Anna (Maggie Q) is the world’s most skilled contract killer. But when Moody – the man who was like a father to her and taught her everything she needs to know about trust and survival – is brutally killed, Anna vows revenge. As she becomes entangled with an enigmatic killer (Michael Keaton) whose attraction to her goes way beyond cat and mouse, their confrontation turns deadly and the loose ends of a life spent killing will weave themselves even tighter.
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GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE (2021)
netflix.com
This Netflix film, Gunpowder Milkshake is absolutely terrible. I think it has to with the comical over-the-top action. I know some people thinks it’s cool, but it just takes me out of believing in the film.
The people who liked the film, defends it by saying that it’s just a dumb fun movie and you don’t really think that hard, you’re going to have a good time. You can say that for any of the Fast and Furious movies… but at some point, I just want a good story. Unfortunately, Gunpowder Milkshake, doesn’t deliver on the story or the action.
The film stars Karen Gillan as Sam, a young assassin, who would team up with her assassin mother, Scarlet, to save a young girl called Emily.
I think the writers tried to build up this assassin world, by introducing “The Library” with their assassin librarians (which includes Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, and Carla Gugino). It sounds like John Wick and the Continental Hotels, and that weird assassin world.
Synopsis
netflix.com
This Netflix film, Gunpowder Milkshake is absolutely terrible. I think it has to with the comical over-the-top action. I know some people thinks it’s cool, but it just takes me out of believing in the film.
The people who liked the film, defends it by saying that it’s just a dumb fun movie and you don’t really think that hard, you’re going to have a good time. You can say that for any of the Fast and Furious movies… but at some point, I just want a good story. Unfortunately, Gunpowder Milkshake, doesn’t deliver on the story or the action.
The film stars Karen Gillan as Sam, a young assassin, who would team up with her assassin mother, Scarlet, to save a young girl called Emily.
I think the writers tried to build up this assassin world, by introducing “The Library” with their assassin librarians (which includes Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, and Carla Gugino). It sounds like John Wick and the Continental Hotels, and that weird assassin world.
Synopsis
When an assassin veers off mission to rescue a child, she triggers a war with a powerful crime syndicate — and reunites a gun-wielding sisterhood.
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