An assassin tries to make amends in an effort to restore the sight of a beautiful young singer.
Alright, folks, let’s cut to the chase: Nathalie Emmanuel is the killer in this flick. That’s right, the same Nathalie Emmanuel who once rode dragons in Westeros is now handing out bullet-riddled therapy sessions like she’s got a Ph.D. in Regret Management. And who’s at the helm of this assassin’s pity party? None other than John Woo—the maestro of slow-mo gunfights and dove explosions. It’s like being served a gourmet meal at a gas station: unexpected, confusing, and somehow exactly what you needed.
The Plot: Emmanuel stars as our troubled hitwoman, an assassin with a moral compass that spins like a top on Red Bull. She’s trying to atone for her dark past—don’t they all?—and, in true cinematic irony, she’s desperate to restore the sight of a beautiful young singer who’s caught up in her crosshairs. Cue Omar Sy, playing the charming but shady ally with questionable loyalties, and Sam Worthington as, well, the guy who seems perpetually stuck in the “I’m here to look ruggedly concerned” mode. Together, they stumble through a plot that’s equal parts redemption arc and bullet ballet, except with more emotional baggage than a season finale of The Bachelor.
What I Liked: The mere fact that this is a John Woo movie should be enough to get your adrenaline pumping. The man practically invented the slow-motion action sequence and raised a generation on the belief that doves are the ultimate signifier of inner turmoil. And he doesn’t disappoint here, either—doves flap majestically, bullets fly in ways that defy physics, and everything is just a little too dramatic. If Woo were a chef, he’d be the guy who deep-fries everything and serves it with a pyrotechnics show.
The best part? The studio must have realized that less is more when it comes to advertising because this movie hit fans with about as much fanfare as a surprise birthday party for your accountant. No spoilers, no exhaustive marketing campaign; just a mysterious flick that invites you to sit back, shut up, and enjoy the ride.
And let’s not forget the action. Oh, baby, the action. It’s like John Woo raided the props department of every 90s action film and then dialed up the choreography to eleven. Emmanuel is surprisingly convincing as a badass assassin, ducking, diving, and dual-wielding like she’s auditioning for an R-rated Tomb Raider reboot. There’s a certain charm to it—seeing her embrace the role with such intensity that you almost forget the ridiculousness of the plot. Almost.
What I Disliked: But let’s get real here: not everything that glitters is gold. For starters, the story is about as coherent as a fever dream. Emmanuel’s character can dismantle an empire with a gun and a good scowl, but the reasons? Oh, they’re murkier than a gas station bathroom at midnight. The plot runs on motivations that are as flimsy as Hollywood’s commitment to realistic fight scenes, and it’s all so disjointed that by the end, you’re left wondering if the script was pieced together using a Mad Libs book titled “Action Movies for Dummies.”
And while we’re on the subject, can we talk about the absurdity of it all? I don’t care how many Pilates classes Nathalie Emmanuel takes—watching her single-handedly dismantle an entire gang of burly henchmen twice her size is just... silly. Look, Hollywood, I’m all for strong female leads, but let’s at least try to obey some laws of physics, shall we? Emmanuel’s killer kicks more butt than a rockstar on tour, but every time she goes toe-to-toe with men who look like they moonlight as linebackers, it’s like watching a particularly aggressive aerobics instructor try to storm a castle.
And then there are the subtitles. Lord help me, the subtitles. If I wanted to read this much, I’d finally get around to finishing War and Peace. I get it—foreign language films can add authenticity, but when it feels like a pop quiz at the DMV, maybe it’s time to rethink your storytelling strategy. Every heartfelt moment, every pseudo-philosophical musing about life and death is undercut by the fact that I’m reading it faster than my brain can process it. The end result? A movie that feels like it’s constantly trying to explain itself to you, one subtitle at a time.
And for a John Woo film, this feels... muted. Sure, there are flashes of brilliance, but the intensity isn’t there. It’s like Woo is running on nostalgia fumes, giving us glimpses of what made his earlier work iconic but never quite delivering the full punch. It’s entertaining in spurts, but there’s this nagging sense that Woo is playing the hits without fully committing to the encore.
The Verdict: The Killer is a bit like ordering a fancy cocktail with an umbrella and getting served flat soda with a lemon wedge. It’s got all the elements you’re expecting—action, intrigue, moral dilemmas—but it’s lacking the punch. Nathalie Emmanuel steps up as the killer we didn’t know we wanted, but her journey is bogged down by a plot that has all the depth of a kiddie pool. It’s not bad, it’s just… fine. You’ll enjoy the ride if you don’t think too hard, but if you’re looking for a John Woo masterpiece, you might finish this one feeling a bit shortchanged.
So, how does it stack up? I’m giving this one a 6.9 out of 10. It’s the movie equivalent of finding a $20 bill in your jacket pocket—it’s nice, it’s unexpected, but it’s not changing your life.
#NathalieEmmanuel #TheKiller #JohnWoo #ActionMovies #Assassin #OmarSy #SamWorthington #MovieReview #FilmCritic #WhatsDanWatching
Comments