Directed By Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

Starring – Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Woody Harrelson, Miku Patricia Martineau

The Plot – Meticulous and preternaturally skilled, Kate (Winstead) is the perfect specimen of a finely tuned assassin at the height of her game. But when she uncharacteristically blows an assignment targeting a member of the yakuza in Tokyo, she quickly discovers she’s been poisoned, a brutally slow execution that gives her less than 24 hours to exact revenge on her killers. As her body swiftly deteriorates, Kate forms an unlikely bond with the teenage daughter (Patricia) of one of her past victims.

Rated R for strong bloody violence and adult language throughout

KATE | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube

POSITIVES

– Impactful figures. For my money, each of the three leads add a sparkling dynamic to the integrity of the film, which enhances believability in their respective characters where the characterization gives them very little to work with. For Winstead, it’s another turn as a badass heroine, but this time with the kind of ruthlessness, intensity, and confidence that exudes itself seamlessly in the dangerousness of her demeanor. Mary surprisingly does all of her own stunts in this movie, which affords the many riveting action sequences a splash of untouched naturalism to their often fantastical elements of violence, thus making Winstead a captivating presence who does all of the dirty work in reaping all of the benefits of one lethal titular protagonist. As for Harrelson, there’s an evolution to his arc that is highly satisfying to long time fans of the actor like myself, who are seeing him as a different shade of grey for one of the only times in his career, and one that affords him no shortage of scene-stealing charisma that burns through the wick of veteran wisdom. Finally, the debut of 16-year-old Martineau is one that brings with it the consistency of teenage embodiment, complete with a loudly obnoxious personality and emotional instability that feels rich with authentication for her portrayal.

– Lavish presentation. While one could easily define the intoxicating visuals in the film as distracting fluff to a mostly flat narrative, there’s no denying that “Kate” brings with it the kind of big screen style that transcends its Netflix embodiment. The most obvious perk here is the exotic appeal of Osaka, Japan as its setting, emitting with it a combination of hypnotic color entrancement and three-dimensional architecture that gives us no shortage of beauty to the consistency of culture radiating smoothly throughout. Most obvious is the neon aesthetics of the business district, permeating within them a splash of exotic essence that simultaneously bottles the seduction and sting of a place with no shortage of seedy characters or devilish dealings at their greedy disposal. Similar to this year’s “Gunpowder Milkshake” (Not the only time I will be mentioning it in this review), the film doubles down on a candy-coated presentation that serves as the welcoming mat of allure for attention-deficit audiences, and easily stands as the single most memorable element from the production because of such.

– Pulse-rattling action. There are many matters that let “Kate” down, but one of them is NOT the abundance of thrilling action fight sequences that conjure up no shortage of versatility to their called upon inspiration. As previously mentioned, Winstead is jaw-dropping during these tightly-contested conflicts, and with the benefits of some crisp choreography and long-take editing at her disposal, conjures up an essence to Kate the character that makes her every bit believable as she is quick on her feet. From there, the fearlessness of the film, complete with cherished R-rating, gets its creative feet wet in more ways than one, sifting through various splashes of red and gashes of dread that pack an impact of permanence to what they’re colorfully embodying, all the while effortlessly capturing the stakes of the career that seems to illustrate the ages old adage “Kill or be killed”.

– Exhilarating personality. Scenes of levity are certainly nothing new to this genre and cinema alike. However, the underlining twisted humor incorporated from some unique elements of production managed to consistently keep my attention, and solidified some artistic brilliance between them. The cinematography from “Thoroughbreds” Lyle Vincent is most dazzling, shifting throughout rooms and in and out of windows with the kind of seamless movements that easily immerses us in the elements of the environment. On top of that, the soundtrack choices distinguishing themselves with Japanese pop is not only one that doubles down on its geographic relevance, but also brings with it a starkly comedic context that serves as the much desired breath between devastating situations. The levity itself is never compromising to the integrity of the tone, and never feels like it tries to make this film into being something that it rightfully isn’t, all for the sake of a gimmick.

– Identifiable enhancements. The brilliance behind the make-up and occasional prosthetics littered conveniently throughout gave consequence to the brutality that was a devastating constant. For my money, it’s the bruising that is most evidently present here, capturing a humbling of stakes, as well as a consistency for detail that was most appreciated in the aging of their appearances. In addition, the contacts worn by Winstead during the third act of the film bring with them a bloodshot dominance and watery registry that completely transformed her appearance before our very eyes, in the most terrifying way possible. Speaking of watery, the persistence of sweat on the appearance of Winstead offers an abstract interpretation, which could just as easily play prominently in the internal struggle in her race against the clock, as it could the non-stop physicality that she endures during her nightmare engagement against an army of Yakuza. It’s an element of production that simply isn’t getting the credit that it deserves, especially considering it magnifies the consequences of the brutality it continuously jolts in front of our faces.

NEGATIVES

– Shamelessly derivative. Easily the biggest problem for the film, and one that limits its appeal for reaching memorable status, is the bulk of its material feeling lifted from better and more original properties. In my detailing of the plot itself, above, one can easily see the parallels to 2006’s “Crank”, in which Jason Statham played an assassin who was drugged, and then proceeded towards a race against the clock, in which his heart was continuously slowing down. If that doesn’t do it for you, consider that the movements of the plot itself, in which Kate murders the father of a little girl, and then in forced to protect that little girl, could be borrowed from literally tens of movies over the previous decades, but most memorable to me was this year’s “Gunpowder Milkshake”. Two Netflix movies with near identical scenes, and we wonder how they provide so much content, year after year. The answer seems simple; and with “Kate” borrowing so much from its predecessors closes the door on the movie ever finding a creative identity of its own to supplant next to its stimulating style.

– Clumsy editing. Dispersed wrecklessly throughout the integrity of the storytelling are a series of flashbacks aimed to articulate a similarity or backstory between the two central female characters. This is fine enough in concept, but when executed with rampant spontaneity, it not only overcomplicates the intention with scenes overlapping scenes in a way that requires focus for us to decipher where exactly we are at in the story, but also establishes an unnecessary embodiment for a majority of them, which are so heavy-handed with intention that they attain the mere definition of spoon-feeding. In this regard, Nicolas-Troyan tries so desparately to borrow a page from the book of Jean-Marc Vallee, but unlike that visionary doesn’t add any elements of visual difference between the scenes to make one stand out above the other, making for a convoluted ramification that literally prescribes speed bumps on the way to its padding of the 101 minute run time.

– Wasted exposition. One glaring instance of problematic chaos for the storytelling is the complete absence of characterization within the narrative that makes it difficult to invest into a single character. For the titular Kate, we understand that she’s a badass who wants a family (Oh God, now it’s being “Kill Bill”), but nothing more. We know nothing about her motivations for virtually adopting Ani, except maybe revenge, and yet this is the best defined character throughout the movie. For everyone else, they are merely one-dimensional shadow outlines who only evolve when the story requires them to, all the while building no momentum or tension in their respective dynamics that could attain even a semblance of empathy or intrigue from the audience. Such an example is within the dynamics of Kate and Varrick, as well as Kate and Ani, which often tell us more than they show us, and attain this level of shallow certification for the way they use these relationships in an attempt to tug at the heartstrings vicariously throughout. I wish the first act could’ve used more time to flesh out Varrick in a way that actually cements him as this parental figure of sorts for the orphaned Kate. Failing to do so, underscores the weight of their shifting dynamic, and leaves us drowning in a sea of faces lacking depth despite their abundance.

– Highly predictable. You could probably guess within the first five minutes of the movie the monumental twist that comes with the arrival of the movie’s third act, and is about as obvious as me devouring a Quesarito from Taco Bell. It’s a reveal so easily attainable that it might as well be mentioned in the plot itself, especially for how a certain character disappears during moments when their presence should be inevitable. I will leave that arc in the hands of my readers, but I will say that the rest of the film is marred by detectable beats and mirrored tropes that anyone with a minimal film I.Q can sniff out from ten miles away, resulting in detrimental resolutions during a time when they can be heard the loudest. As expected, this dramatically influences the closing minutes of the movie, and ends matters with an anti-climactic finish that reaches for riveting, when in reality it saunters to a splat on the canvas that it never truly ascends from.

– Weak title. Is there any easier way to cement your film as forgettable than a one word name of a title whose protagonist is just another chapter in a book of badass female heroines? A title itself is supposed to summarize everything about a movie in a way that immediately springs it to memory when it’s unleashed to your ears, but the problem with “Kate” is the word in question is merely just a window into a much bigger property, and one in which she is arguably not even the most important character in her own story. If it does summarize a single thought in my mind, it’s the laziness established with a title referring to a character whom we don’t remotely come to learn or understand, and one that unfortunately brings with a conveyor belt film with an assortment of derivatively empty movements that directly subscribes to style over substance.

My Grade: 5/10 or D+