KATE (2021)

KATE (2021)

Tagline: There's No Time For Mercy

(Action, Adventure, Teeth Getting Kicked In) [R]

Death is the time for beginnings.

In this one, an assassin named KATE (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead best known for SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD) gets poisoned by a mysterious man she met at a nightclub. After finding out she has 24 hours to live, she decides she needs to finish a multi-kill mission her handler gave her. Along the way she hunts down the only girl she feels might know his whereabouts. Her name is Ani (played by Miku Patricia Martineau) who just happens to be the daughter of the victim of her last hit. 

Just from reading the plot outline, you could tell this movie was going to be a bit of a downer. Fortunately, KATE is flawed as heck as much as she is trying to redeem herself in some way. What was a bit of a surprise is how Ani went from someone I just couldn’t wait to get off the screen, to actually liking and feeling sympathetic towards her character. 

Where this movie succeeds is in the action sequences and in the soundtrack. I liked this soundtrack so much I have already added some of the songs to one of my Spotify playlists. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is a tour de force in the acting department and we also get strong performances out of newcomer Miku Patricia Martineau and acting veteran Jun Kunimura. Kunimura is best known for KILL BILL. Woody Harrelson is also in this movie, but to be honest, an aardvark with a cigar could have done his role in this. 

Where this movie falls flat is in the storyline. I am not sure how many movies I have seen where there is an assassin that has a crisis of conscience and doesn’t either want to kill a kid or kill someone in front of a kid. The top movie for that is probably REPLACEMENT KILLERS, but there are a ton of films with actual female assassins as well including KILL BILL, POINT OF NO RETURN, GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE, SALT, ATOMIC BLONDE, and on and on. It is interesting that KATE has 24 hours to live, but it also leads to a ridiculously predictable ending and an even more predictable plot twist.  

The great visuals, stunts, and crazy fight scenes are pretty great in this and we do get some nice unexpected heart-felt moments, but ultimately this has been done before. It’s not a terrible movie by any means, it’s just not going to blow your mind, especially if you have seen any of the other films I listed. Winstead plays almost the same character in GEMINI MAN. 

For those reasons, this one is going to land at a 4 out of 7. If the year ended today, it wouldn’t make my TOP 20 for 2021. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF HERITAGE ENTERPRISES AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

Please check out the link below by clicking on the picture. Because no one should die buttonless.