We have arrived very cautiously at the cinema to enjoy the new film by Vértice 360: La protege (2022). With the theme of revenge flying over the tape, we have good reason to believe that this production will, at least, entertain us. Directed by Martin Campbell and starring Maggie Q, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson, we enter a world where contract killers carry their past and face their actions.
La protege will hit Spanish cinemas on March 18, 2022 . How did it seem to me? Worth it? Go ahead!
The family that touches you
Vietnam. Moody -Samuel L. Jackson- is sent to execute one of his assignments for him and, when he arrives at the place where his next victims should be, he discovers that someone has already beaten him to it. Checking the room he discovers a little girl with a gun, whom he rescues from the place and takes her to London to be trained in her family business.
Twenty years have passed since then and Anna, Maggie Q, has learned all the skills necessary to become a great assassin. She, along with Moody, is in charge of eliminating those people that no one is able to reach, while she is in charge of taking care of the antique bookstore that she runs. It is there that she meets an enigmatic character with great charisma, Rembrandt -Michael Keaton- .
But everything blows up when the mansion where his mentor lives is brutally robbed . It is then that he returns to Vietnam in search of answers, intending to go to the end of the world in order to achieve his goal: revenge.
Right from the beginning , you can see a scheme that has been repeated on multiple occasions in various film productions: a mentor takes an apprentice, who will be in charge of avenging the death of the first. This approach is only the first of the clichés of this action genre that begin to populate the film and that, although you want to avoid it, you have the constant feeling that everything that happens on screen you had already anticipated. And it’s a shame, because you can see the attempt to give the product a little more narrative that weaves together the action scenes, but it ends up being a decaffeinated mix with comedy. Richard Wenk tries it with the script, although he ends up skating(with more impression in the final scenes). For his part, Martin Campbell gets some interesting action scenes where the characters shine , with a good rhythm, taking time in calmer scenes where the characters express themselves without fists.
And eye! Even with those narrative details, the film is still enjoyable if you’re looking for the thrill of the moment . Showing off the studio that produces it and the actors it has, the choreographies and action scenes are interesting, although you will end up asking for a little more when you see the possibilities that could have been exploited . Visually , it is attractive. The lighting and the settings are very well chosen , well accompanying that touch of elegance that usually surrounds murder movies, but not fearing going down to the mud in the dirtiest scenes (some of them quite wasted)
The triad that holds it all
One of the great attractions of this film is the trio of actors that heads the poster. Specialized in action movies, the three are more than enough reason to understand that, at the level of energetic sequences, we are going to achieve a good result.
To say that Jackie Chan has seen in you someone who has talent as an action actress is something that positions you in a very good place. From her film beginnings in China to her entry into Hollywood, Maggie Q has shown her great ability to step into and defend roles where the kicks are real and painful . In this film, she plays Anna, a ruthless assassin and a cultured bookseller. Her past traumas make her more reserved and her only point of escape is the father-son relationship she has with her mentor Moody. It is impressive the work she has completed after the operation that she underwent (counting on her stunt double De Ella).
Along with her, Samuel L. Jackson is effective in a role in which he fits well , but which is still similar to many that we have seen in his past. Wasted , yes, he brings that human nuance in the life of the protagonist.
Michael Keaton surprises to see him with his seventy years of age interpreting as when he was young . And young is what they want it to look like. Flirty and cultured, he dresses up as a murderer being the cat and, at the same time, the dog of the expression. Although on screen we see him in a romantic position towards the protagonist (with interesting scenes like the one at dinner), the decision of the casting team for trying to create that romantic plot between two characters with such a difference in age can only leave us cold. And that the scenes of him with Maggie are some of the funniest in the film .
The other characters comply with their characters , not highlighting any in their performance. It is surprising to see Robert Patrick reduced to only appearing in a few scenes.
Conclution
When we talk about action movies, one of the most recent references is that of the John Wick trilogy (of which we will soon have a fourth installment). Knowing that the studio is the same one that gave it to us, we know that certain things are going to be more than correct and that they are going to be kept at a more than correct level. The conflict scenes are well shot, entertaining and occasionally absurd, in a good way . The problem is that, although the characters have their charisma, the story in which they are introduced does not help achieve the goal of making them unforgettable . Using some conveniences to solve moments of tension, the story is resolved in an expected way.
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