I’ve been trying to make at least a modicum of effort to avoid actively handing over my money to individuals whose continued presence in the industry is problematic. Mel Gibson starred in three movies that made it to cinemas this year, and I only saw one of them because I was sent out on official detail for FilmInk. I avoided the other two because, even though I’ve been receptive in the past… I just don’t want to see my dosh used to fund whatever stupid shit he’s got lined up next. And under those circumstances, I shouldn’t even admit to having seen this feature, given its writing accredited to one Matthew Newton, a disgraced member of TV royalty over here with a history of domestic violence. And if he was attached to this in any other respect, like as an on-set producer or as director (which he was originally, but Tate Taylor was brought in to replace him early on) or any other position that would’ve put the women on-set in the firing line, I likely wouldn’t have bothered.
But I don’t see enough reason to disregard the hard work everyone else put into this off the back of his shitty history. Far as I know (and more than ever, I welcome being wrong about this), he won’t see as much return on this as he would otherwise, and considering it recently made its way to Ava, the filmmakers are likely trying to recoup their losses as best they can in light of what are likely justified boycotts based on Newton’s involvement. I’m bringing all this up now because it seems impossible to get into this without addressing the controversy in some fashion. But also to highlight how Newton’s contribution to this production (the script), in spite of how much he dominates the conversation around it, is easily the least interesting part of said production. And it’s not as if this film is particularly captivating to begin with.
An action-thriller based within the world of organised assassins, the title character (played by Jessica Chastain) is a hired killer who ends up being double-crossed by the people she works for. So far, so very derivative. But even beyond the staleness of the premise, there’s next-to-no spice added to the proceedings as far as world-building or any real rapport between characters as they’re written. It’s so plain that it gets to the point where any of the attempts made to add drama to the story, like Ava’s connection to her handler Duke (John Malkovich), or her strained relationship to her sister (Jess Weixler of Teeth fame) and mother (Geena Davis), or her own history with drugs and alcohol, just slides off the brain like so much gristle vainly trying to hold the structure of this undercooked film-loaf together.
As you can probably tell by now, the casting for this thing is certainly eye-catching, and while they never manage to rise above the tepid dialogue they’ve been served, they’re certainly trying. Chastain handles the refined assassin role rather aptly (making her casting in The 355 look like a solid idea), and she certainly carries herself like someone who is both familiar with ending the lives of ‘clients’, and curious enough to at least ask why these people have been brought before her. Weixler and Davis, as nice as it is to see them on-screen again, barely leave the baseline, to the point where Common as Weixler’s fiancé (who is quite familiar with films about assassins, between Wanted, Run All Night and John Wick 2) manages to outperform them. Malkovich basically disappears into the margins of his limp character, and Colin Farrell as what can charitably be called the main villain just lets his accent do all the emoting for him.
However, as much as I happily rag on the lack of engagement here, I can at least give credit to the production values on offer. Bear McCreary is once again soundtracking a film far beneath his talents, but the rumble-grumble of his electronics here definitely set a tone for murderous intrigue, even if the story can’t deliver on it. Stephen Goldblatt’s cinematography combined with Taylor’s direction, both of whom have made a decent track record for female-centric cinema in recent years, give a cold atmosphere to the proceedings that certainly fits with the story specifics, and while it’s far from saving this, the fight scenes and choreography are decently handled.
Where Tate Taylor’s last film was made recommendable primarily on the strength of its lead performance, this can’t even reach that bar. Jessica Chastain is good enough here, and she’s surrounded by an interesting cast and adequate action beats, the tired plotting and phenomenally unremarkable dialogue end up sapping the fun out of things (you can almost smell the irony). While I certainly my reservations about Newton as a person, as a creative, this serves as an example of how much we’re really not missing out on without him.
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