OK movie, if you say so.
That thought might cross your mind more than once during "The Protege," a new action-thriller now playing in theaters. There are certain points in director Martin Campbell's revenge flick that may cause you to chuckle quietly as you attempt to wrap your head around how this latest plot contrivance could have occurred.
It wouldn't quite be fair to call it a "dumb" action romp, but you could poke enough holes in its internal logic to deflate the whole balloon if you'd like.
Or you could just enjoy the ultraviolent action, intriguing mystery at the center of it all, and performances from stars Michael Keaton and Maggie Q that save "The Protege" from going too far off the deep end.
Anna (Maggie Q) was rescued by Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) as a child and trained in the art of assassination. The two spend 30 years working together and develop a father-daughter bond along the way. They both have enough self-awareness to know that even though they primarily kill folks who most wouldn't have any qualms with labeling as bad people, that doesn't make them anything resembling heroes.
When Moody starts inquiring into the son of a man he once killed, he and a few of his associates almost immediately turn up dead. Anna becomes the next target and has to both evade whoever is after her while figuring out why they're so keen on making anyone who looks into that kid disappear. Along the way, she develops a strange relationship with Rembrandt (Keaton), who she should despise but can't quite bring herself to hate.
"The Protege" does an admirable job setting up the bond between Anna and Moody while still leaving room for audiences to ponder exactly how Anna ended up in the situation where Moody found her. Though there are plenty of story beats that don't hold up particularly well to even the slightest scrutiny, the relentlessness Anna displays in her quest to avenge Moody's death is completely justified.
Writer Richard Wenk is a veteran of the action genre after penning both "Equalizer" films and co-writing "The Expendables 2," "The Mechanic" and "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back," among others. With "The Protege," he came up with a solid framework for an intricate cat-and-mouse game that contains a few genuine laughs and enough rational decision-making to make for a mostly satisfying narrative.
But frankly, there's just a lot that doesn't make a whole lot of sense throughout "The Protege." Yes, trying to discern the plot of action movies is usually a fool's errand, yet the sheer number of moments that boil down to a defeated sigh and a "sure, why not" mentality detract from the whole experience.
Those fights sure are well choreographed and bloody, and the scenery is fun to take in. The film was primarily shot in London; Bucharest, Romania; and Da Nang, Vietnam. It's an excellent travelogue of those locales, though a lot of pretty places do get desecrated or, in some cases, blown up.
This is one of those films where the leads' depth and charisma occasionally mask some of the story's structural issues. Maggie Q is generally all business, but she does display a range of emotions while getting to crack wise and kick butt in her search for answers. There's never a second of doubt that "The Protege" is her movie, and she commands the screen at all times.
Keaton is ever-dependable in a role that could have been just your average enforcer who stands between the protagonist and the main villain. Instead, his Rembrandt oozes confidence and turns out to be a formidable foil to Anna at every turn. Those two also share a certain chemistry that culminates in a moment that's a stretch even for a movie like this but only works because of the performers selling it to the best of their abilities.
Jackson deserves a shoutout for a speech he gives about what separates the bad from the truly evil that fans of his iconic Ezekiel 25:17 speech in "Pulp Fiction" should enjoy for the trademark vigor he brings to it.
There are definitely worse ways to spend a Friday night then heading down to your local theater to check out "The Protege." It's too well-made and features too many fun performances to be dismissed outright. But it's also pretty mindless, which while not necessarily being a deal-breaker also isn't exactly a compliment either.
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'THE PROTEGE'
2 stars (out of 4)
MPAA rating: R (for strong and bloody violence, language, some sexual references and brief nudity)
Running time: 1:49
Where to watch: Now playing in theaters
