The Movie: The Protégé
The Director: Martin Campbell
The Cast: Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton
The Story: Rescued as a child by the legendary assassin Moody and trained in the family business, Anna is the world's most skilled contract killer. But when Moody is brutally killed, Anna vows revenge.
The Review:
I'm pretty sure the Q in Maggie Q's name stands for queen because she absolutely rules in this movie. Taking the lead role in action movie when you have Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Keaton also on the marquee is no small task and yet she handles it with style and a presence that you just cannot take your eyes off of. Yes, she's a beautiful woman but her skills as an actress and an action star really elevate this movie to something much more than it otherwise might have been.
The story isn't the most original and it definitely rides the wave of modern martial arts and "gun-fu" style movies and so much so that I thought the characters might actually exist somewhere within the John Wick universe. One thing I was thankful not to see is Jackson trying to pull off some crazy stunt work or fight scene, he's pretty much relegated to the aging mentor role which was totally fine by me. Michael Keaton does however get his chance to get in on the action, in more ways than one, although you have to just let it happen without sitting there thinking about how old he is. Still though, he makes it believable and it's worth having his presence as the big bad guy.
Speaking of the action, there are a lot of great fight scenes mostly involving Maggie Q's character efficiently brutalizing just about every hired gun and generic thug type character put in her path of destruction. I know Hollywood has been trying to get a female front and center in this world with Charlize Theron, Kate Beckinsale and others taking a stab at it although I believe Ms. Q takes things to another level. If only the story had been better and maybe some bigger action set pieces could have really taken this movie to the big time when it comes to box office success.
The Verdict:
The Protégé is a solid action movie that gives Maggie Q a chance to kick some booty and she absolutely does that. I would love to see her character again so get out there and go see the movie. Action fans, martial arts fans, and especially gun fu fans you will not be disappointed.
No comments :
Post a Comment