Movie Review: The Protégé (2021)

Genre: Action  

Director: Martin Campbell  

Starring: Maggie Q, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Patrick  

Running Time: 109 minutes  

Synopsis: In 1991, professional hitman Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) stumbles upon young orphan Anna in Vietnam and smuggles her out of the country. Thirty years later, London-based Anna (Maggie Q) and Moody are an assassination team ridding the world of mobsters. When they start searching for a reclusive target, they trigger the attention of the mysterious Michael Rembrandt (Michael Keaton). An attraction develops between Anna and Rembrandt, but she soon finds herself on her own, back in Vietnam, and up against a well-resourced foe who does not want to be exposed.

What Works Well: This proficient action thriller never sales unexpected heights, but also rarely disappoints. Writer Richard Wenk crafts a familiar story of assassins operating in the shadows with a veteran/protégé dynamic and an attempt at attraction-between-foes sizzle. Helped by a strong cast, the characters carry backstories and are interesting enough to develop and maintain momentum. The plot courts complexity, allowing Anna to encounter more than one surprising twist, while the judiciously deployed and decently edited action scenes provide the punctuation marks.

What Does Not Work As Well: Both Maggie Q and Michael Keaton do well, but their romantic chemistry is forced and not at all helped by a ridiculous 28 year age difference. The main antagonist is a poorly defined prominent public figure with a dark side.

Key Quote:

Moody: Our past is never where we left it, we all have scars. If you stare at them long enough you will remember how you got them.



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