Netflix Action Movie Can’t Be Saved By Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Within the action genre, there are plenty of movies that revolve around one main character - particularly a current or retired assassin - going on a mission with determination to see it through for whatever reason. In Kate, the filmmakers put a spin on that trope by setting up the story so that the main character only has a day to live and must complete her mission within that timeframe. The movie is directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan (The Huntsman: Winter's War) from a script by Umair Aleem (Extraction), with John Wick co-director David Leitch serving as one of Kate's producers. Kate has some decently fun action, despite certain trite directorial choices, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead serving as the movie's main bright spot.

The film follows an assassin named Kate (Winstead), who is forced by her handlers to kill a man in front of his daughter. Ten months later when she's still struggling to get over the incident, she tells her handler Varrick (Woody Harrelson) that she wants to retire from being an assassin after finishing up her next job. However, something goes wrong when Kate is meant to kill Yakuza leader Kijima (Jun Kunimura), collapsing and waking up in the hospital. She learns she's been poisoned with a radioactive substance and only has 24 hours to live. Determined to track down and kill the man responsible, Kate ends up befriending the young daughter of the man she killed previously, the teenaged Ani (Miku Martineau). With Ani's help as her health deteriorates, Kate sets out to avenge her own murder.

At its heart, Kate is a mixture of well-worn action movie tropes. The main character is a girl who's been raised to be an assassin by a father figure whose own morality is questionable, and whose life is upended as she's sent on a mission she throws herself into it with reckless abandon. The result is, unfortunately, Kate feeling like an amalgamation of other noteworthy action movies - such as Leitch's films John Wick and Atomic Blonde - instead of its own thing. While there is some fun action, it doesn't necessarily feel fresh or exciting, especially as Nicolas-Troyan employs certain (and extremely overused) camera tricks, like having blood splatter on the camera (a favorite of directors when 3D movies first became popular).

Perhaps the most fresh and compelling aspect of Kate is Winstead's dynamic with newcomer Martineau. Though a jaded assassin/action hero teaming up with a fresh-faced and naïve youngster is another trope of the movie genre, the actors bring enough personality and charm to the unlikely friendship to sustain the film. The relationship comes off a little underdeveloped due to the restraints of the script, with Aleem's story plodding along through predictable plot beats, action set pieces and the occasional moment of character development. In addition to Winstead and Martineau, Harrelson is a delight as Varrick, while Kunimura brings an exceptional gravitas to the movie. All told, Kate assembled a talented cast, but they're kneecapped by the underwhelming script.

Ultimately, Kate is a fine watch for fans of action movies, Winstead, or anyone particularly interested in the movie's premise. While it doesn't necessarily reinvent the genre or provide an imaginative take on action-thrillers, it's entertaining enough to sustain viewers through the movie's hour and 46-minute runtime. However, it's also not a necessary watch, and those who haven't been intrigued by the premise or the trailers focused on Winstead are certainly fine to skip this particular movie.

Like many of Netflix's original movies, Kate feels like another release that had potential to be good, but falls well short of the mark. So, like Netflix's other films, viewers can check out Kate if they've run out of other things to watch, but it doesn't feel destined to become one of the streamer's viral hits.

Next: Kate Movie Trailer

Kate starts streaming Friday, September 10 on Netflix. It is 106 minutes long and rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout.

Let us know what you thought of the film in the comments section!

Our Rating:

2 out of 5 (Okay)