Anna (Maggie Q) is an expert international tracker and assassin who works with fellow killer Moody Dutton (Samuel L. So why does the movie so often fall so flat? The story, while thoroughly generic, seems to have enough emotional juice to keep us interested. And The Protégé feels right for his talents: It’s a revenge movie with tons of hand-to-hand combat and gunplay, filled with the kind of stunt-driven, cleanly directed mayhem that has been his forte for most of his career. Martin Campbell made three of the great tentpole action films of the past 30 years - GoldenEye, Casino Royale, and The Mask of Zorro - along with several other pretty good ones, so any new release from him should be worth celebrating. Photo: Jichici Raul/Lionsgate/Jichici Raul/Lionsgate The Protégé is only for those who like these types of thrillers – and Samuel L. It isn’t the worst action-thriller, nor is it anything new or special. The rest of us, however, will have yet another thriller that delivers a lot of good characters and explosions, but nothing groundbreaking otherwise. Every action scene appears at an appropriate moment and doesn’t last too long to become obnoxious.įans of action-thrillers will love this one, and newcomers will have a decent introduction to the genre. The Protégé definitely lacks in originality, but thankfully it doesn’t try too hard to be exciting. The Protégé isn’t oversaturated as far as the action goes, as we’re allowed a breather between action sequences and even get a few laughs at times. He too is introduced as a deadly assassin, but is given a lighter side when in private – namely by playing with a spy drone he receives as a birthday present. The same goes for her interaction with Samuel L. Anna is given a life outside of her deadly occupation and this allows us to bond with the character better. We see her out on morning jogs and spending time with her cat in her flat. When not picking off bad guys though, she’s running a boutique that sells rare books in London. Maggie Q does a great job in conveying subtle emotions, giving us a softer side to an otherwise tough-as-nails personality.Īt times, the Protégé delivers a few sophisticated moments that keeps it from becoming too dull.Īnna is beautiful and deadly – yes. Time and again, she presents herself as calm and collected under stress, but in her eyes, we see the clear tension created by her circumstances. Jackson and Michael Keaton (who’re wonderful all around), and doesn’t go too overboard with her persona. She shares perfect chemistry with her co-stars, Samuel L. Maggie Q delivers a wonderful performance as the femme fatale out for revenge. Jackson, and Michael Keaton along with a smaller but ever-fun appearance by Robert Patrick. What saves the film from becoming a total clunker, if anything, are the performances by Maggie Q, Samuel L. Nothing new or special whatsoever when it comes to the action. This trope works just as well in your James Bond, Mission: Impossible, and Bourne Identity flicks, and that’s the point. What would have been thrilling for a similar film years ago is now cliché – say, Anna armed only with a pistol, facing wave upon wave of bad guys with assault rifles, and magically blowing them away while coming out without a scratch. Jackson delivers an arsenal of badass one-liners as expected. There are choreographed fighting scenes as expected, the protagonist is a professional killer as expected, the antagonist is a high-profile suit as expected, and Samuel L. The Protégé is as typical of an action-thriller as you could ask for. Her journey will not only take her through the underbelly of high-profile crime, but also to a dark past she’s fought her entire life to forget. When assassins target and kill Moody, she must go it alone to hunt down those responsible. Jackson), both make a living carrying out assassinations of high-profile criminals. The Protégé follows Anna (Maggie Q), a young woman who works as a part-time contract killer. Otherwise, if you’ve seen one action-thriller like The Protégé, you’ve seen them all. Some might get a kick out it, and it definitely has its moments. We’ve seen it a million times and, unfortunately, Martin Campbell’s movie delivers all you can expect from such a flick. The Protégé has a simple formula – a vivacious protagonist, deadly in the arts of close combat, runs through walls of bullets and explosions to get to their target at any cost.
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