The Protege
The Protege
Starring Maggie Q, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Patrick
Directed by Martin Campbell
Starring Maggie Q, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Patrick
Directed by Martin Campbell
The female-led assassin movie genre pretty much stays within its status quo: an unemotional female rises up and becomes a trained, heartless assassin who takes down men and women alike left and right to get to the big bad boss at the end of it all. It happens in pretty much every movie - "Atomic Blonde," "Black Widow," "Red Sparrow," "Ava," "Anna," "Colombiana," "Nikita," "Kill Bill," and so on. What keeps it from becoming stale is the stylish action sequences that leaves the audience exclaiming "oh!" numerous times as they practically literally tear their enemies limb from limb either by being a trained markswoman or expert hand-to-hand combat. There's nothing really more that's needed for a genre like this, and it's something "The Protege" continues to pursue: another unemotional female lead goes against untold numbers of lesser men to get to her main target, but at least this film has a little more witty humor than most.
Anna (Eva Nguyen) was a young girl in Vietnam in 1991 when a gang of murderers killed her family, and almost killed her too if it wasn't for her quick wits to dispatch the men before they got a chance to get to her. She's hiding in a closet when another assassin, Moody Dutton (Samuel L. Jackson) arrives on the scene and takes young Anna under his wing, training her to be a seasoned assassin who only targets bad guys.
Thirty years later, an older Anna (Maggie Q) is now that trained assassin, and considers Moody as her father. She continually trains and pulls off hits on the worst of the worst criminals out there, while also holding to her passion for reading by running a small bookstore catering to rare books. It's there she first meets Michael Rembrandt (Michael Keaton), who claims he's looking for a certain book. After she heads home she finds a record from Moody, so she decides to pay him a visit - and finds him murdered in his bathtub.
Her investigation leads her back to Vietnam, and also runs into Rembrandt again, but learns that he's not just a customer, but rather a fixer for the billionaire criminal responsible for Moody's murder. The two square off several times, matching wits as well as punches, as Anna closes in on the one she holds responsible for her surrogate father's murder.
"The Protege" is obviously a female-led assassin film, but it also shows hints of witty humor akin to "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," especially when it comes to Anna's dealings with Rembrandt. It's this violently passionate pas de deux that keeps this film from falling into the mediocrity of other films like "Ava" or "Anna." Aside from that, it's your average action flick with stylized action sequences, a thirst for revenge, and mowing down numerous unnamed henchmen who shoot about as good as a Storm Trooper as Anna levels up to take on the final boss.
Maggie Q has always been an understated action heroine, who hasn't really had the opportunity to lead a female-led action film (despite her knockout work in the television series Nikita), and while she's able to showcase everything she can do here, it feels more like an audition reel for something better down the pike than her actual magnum opus. She manages to balance grace and sophistication with cutthroat violence in equal measure, and even proves that though she's been trained for thirty years, she still can mess up from time to time and learn from those mistakes. She's not wholly polished, and especially when driven by revenge, sometimes makes rookie mistakes.
Michael Keaton proves that despite being almost 70, he still has what it takes to co-lead an action blockbuster. He goes toe-to-toe with Maggie Q continually, and proves that he doesn't take things lying down (well, when it comes to fighting anyway). He also has a charm about him that's infectious, and it's no wonder why Anna was mysteriously drawn to him. Likewise, Samuel L. Jackson (at 72 years) effortlessly breezes through this film in his sleep, as he's completely in his wheelhouse. He doesn't allow the young bucks to steal the spotlight, and his own unique brand of vulgarity and violence are showcased perfectly here.
The relationship between Anna and Rembrandt does hearken back to the classic Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie led "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" in their banter against one another, and also how they can be literally fighting and destroying the building one minute and then rolling around in the bedroom the next. It's an interesting mix considering Maggie Q is a little over forty and Michael Keaton is going to be hitting 70, but it's not always about the physical attraction but rather the allure and mystery that both give off that gives them undeniable chemistry (the scene of them conversing at a fancy restaurant is both engrossing and engaging). Again, if this little reprieve didn't exist, "The Protege" wouldn't be remembered for anything.
Offering a bit more to make it a little more memorable than most female-led assassin films, "The Protege" provides exhilarating action sequences and insane character chemistry that finally allows Maggie Q to claim the spotlight as a powerful action heroine.
The Score: A-
Anna (Eva Nguyen) was a young girl in Vietnam in 1991 when a gang of murderers killed her family, and almost killed her too if it wasn't for her quick wits to dispatch the men before they got a chance to get to her. She's hiding in a closet when another assassin, Moody Dutton (Samuel L. Jackson) arrives on the scene and takes young Anna under his wing, training her to be a seasoned assassin who only targets bad guys.
Thirty years later, an older Anna (Maggie Q) is now that trained assassin, and considers Moody as her father. She continually trains and pulls off hits on the worst of the worst criminals out there, while also holding to her passion for reading by running a small bookstore catering to rare books. It's there she first meets Michael Rembrandt (Michael Keaton), who claims he's looking for a certain book. After she heads home she finds a record from Moody, so she decides to pay him a visit - and finds him murdered in his bathtub.
Her investigation leads her back to Vietnam, and also runs into Rembrandt again, but learns that he's not just a customer, but rather a fixer for the billionaire criminal responsible for Moody's murder. The two square off several times, matching wits as well as punches, as Anna closes in on the one she holds responsible for her surrogate father's murder.
"The Protege" is obviously a female-led assassin film, but it also shows hints of witty humor akin to "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," especially when it comes to Anna's dealings with Rembrandt. It's this violently passionate pas de deux that keeps this film from falling into the mediocrity of other films like "Ava" or "Anna." Aside from that, it's your average action flick with stylized action sequences, a thirst for revenge, and mowing down numerous unnamed henchmen who shoot about as good as a Storm Trooper as Anna levels up to take on the final boss.
Maggie Q has always been an understated action heroine, who hasn't really had the opportunity to lead a female-led action film (despite her knockout work in the television series Nikita), and while she's able to showcase everything she can do here, it feels more like an audition reel for something better down the pike than her actual magnum opus. She manages to balance grace and sophistication with cutthroat violence in equal measure, and even proves that though she's been trained for thirty years, she still can mess up from time to time and learn from those mistakes. She's not wholly polished, and especially when driven by revenge, sometimes makes rookie mistakes.
Michael Keaton proves that despite being almost 70, he still has what it takes to co-lead an action blockbuster. He goes toe-to-toe with Maggie Q continually, and proves that he doesn't take things lying down (well, when it comes to fighting anyway). He also has a charm about him that's infectious, and it's no wonder why Anna was mysteriously drawn to him. Likewise, Samuel L. Jackson (at 72 years) effortlessly breezes through this film in his sleep, as he's completely in his wheelhouse. He doesn't allow the young bucks to steal the spotlight, and his own unique brand of vulgarity and violence are showcased perfectly here.
The relationship between Anna and Rembrandt does hearken back to the classic Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie led "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" in their banter against one another, and also how they can be literally fighting and destroying the building one minute and then rolling around in the bedroom the next. It's an interesting mix considering Maggie Q is a little over forty and Michael Keaton is going to be hitting 70, but it's not always about the physical attraction but rather the allure and mystery that both give off that gives them undeniable chemistry (the scene of them conversing at a fancy restaurant is both engrossing and engaging). Again, if this little reprieve didn't exist, "The Protege" wouldn't be remembered for anything.
Offering a bit more to make it a little more memorable than most female-led assassin films, "The Protege" provides exhilarating action sequences and insane character chemistry that finally allows Maggie Q to claim the spotlight as a powerful action heroine.
The Score: A-
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