A skilled assassin hunts down the powerful men who murdered
her mentor because of a contract he'd completed decades earlier. ACTION
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The Protégé (2021)Directed by Martin Campbell
Written by Richard Wenk Starring Maggie Q, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Patrick, David Rintoul, Ray Fearon |
I fully expected The Protégé to be another mildly sexist, confusing assassin movie that will disappear from pop culture by the end of the year, just like Atomic Blonde and Gunpowder Milkshake. But much to my surprise, and despite an angry army of critics, this one measures up. It's mostly due to the impressive chemistry between Maggie Q and Michael Keaton, and the complete opposite direction their characters went than what was advertised. I think if the trailer had been more accurate to the film's tone and plot points, maybe critics wouldn't be condemning it.
Anna (Q) is a skilled assassin who was raised by Moody (Jackson), a hitman with a heart of gold who targets bad people who don't want to be found. One day, Moody is murdered, and the killing has something to do with an old contract decades prior. Anna goes after the killers, only to be stopped by Rembrandt (Keaton), an assassin for hire who works for the people that killed Moody. But Anna and Rembrandt are very similar, and a chemistry sparks between them. With a few more predictably but still entertaining twists, I can honestly say this was the most entertaining movie I saw this weekend. The film was advertised as a gender-swapped John Wick, and that's not the case. The Protégé is very much its own thing, and while it's a far cry from original, it's still a fun watch thanks to the awesome cast, impressive action scenes, and tongue-in-cheek dialogue that's so cheesy it has to be on purpose. |