Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Colin Farrell, Common, and assassins…sure, I’m in. Even though the trailers were confirming what I’d ultimately come to find out, I was hoping there’d be something below the surface. There was that little voice of caution inside my head, so I had no issues waiting for Ava to come to Netflix before giving it a chance.
There was reasonable potential at the outset, painting the picture of the prodigal child turned assassin who has become disillusioned with the job and looking for some deeper meaning…some purpose…that isn’t there. All that was covered in the opening credits and first scene. Ava’s also a recovering alcoholic, but it’s not work-related? Anyway, the agency she works for wants her dead even though she’s been clean for two years and is by far their most effective asset. Okay. I’ve seen enough assassin movies to know that the #1 agent will inevitably end up in the crosshairs, either from another aspiring hitman, the clandestine agency, or some combination of both. I was just hoping for something new. That other angle was there, but the movie seemed handcuffed to the genre it wanted to be accepted into.
The focus here was definitely action-oriented as Chastain’s Ava, at one point, doing her best Jessica Rabbit in an evening dress and no shoes, fends off an entire German S.W.A.T. team without so much as a scratch. Director Tate Taylor seemingly wanted to emulate the Bourne Identity franchise but cast aside that which made his film most unique. I guess the idea is that people who go to see these kinds of films want that force-fed action, but what made the Bourne movies work was that Jason Bourne managed to be a sympathetic character. I don’t know that’s the case with Ava.
Her strenuous relationship with her mother (Geena Davis), her sister (Jess Weixler), and her former fiance (Common) who’s now engaged to that sister has meat to it, but it’s a big leap from understanding to sympathy. The constant negging from her mother and the complex love triangle dynamic with her sister would explain the alcoholism, but that’s not the reason. Matthew Newton’s screenplay brings in a story about her father’s adultery and her mother not believing her, but that’s also not the reason. Nearest I could tell, the reason for Ava’s drinking problem is never actually addressed. What they tell us with clippings during the opening credits is that she had a DUI as a teenager that killed a couple of people, she joined the Air Force to escape that reality, met her recruiter, and eventually became a professional murderer by choice.
While I understand the progression, that’s not a sympathetic character model. Ava isn’t particularly charismatic, or charming, or funny either and actually has a moment of self-awareness in which she espouses just how shitty of a person she is. It was a tough position to put Chastain in, especially since she’s a consistently strong performer with plenty of range to pull off the emotional burden. She’s still the best part of the movie and the audience feels Ava’s pain thanks to her adeptness, but the movie didn’t do anything substantial with that pain.
The character short-changing didn’t stop with Ava. John Malkovich is one of the most eccentric actors I can think of and he was brought in to play the generic “handler” role that doubles as a surrogate father figure for Ava. Again, the relationship makes sense but doesn’t have much paternal weight beyond the character roles. Similarly, Colin Farrell plays the “villain” but you don’t really hate him in the way you should. Based on the context of the story, his desire to “close” Ava actually makes rational sense. She’s a liability because she continuously breaks protocol and the business is bigger than one person. Whether it be revenge, jealousy, or professional rivalry the human element to his villainy is absent. In fact, aside from one moment where the filmmakers work hard to establish him as sinister, he’s mostly well-mannered. Ultimately, it’s all just odd and I can see why the critical scores for this movie are on the lower end of the spectrum.
The stunt coordination and fight choreography are very good. It’s physical and intense while still being fluid and the cinematography in some of those scenes is excellent. As an action film, it delivers what you’d expect but it struggled to walk the line between action and emotional resonance. Ultimately disappointing considering Taylor’s resume and how good the cast was.
Recommendation: Unless you really love Jessica Chastain or assassin movies, you can probably pass on this one.