Released: 27th August 2020 (Netflix)
Length: 97 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Director: Tate Taylor
Starring: Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Collin Farrell, Geena Davis, Common and Jess Weixler
The action genre has received a rejuvenating shot in the arm over the last decade with grittier franchises that replaced more vacuous entries like Taken and The Expendables. Taking notice of this shift, AVA brings together some big-name actors for another assassin tale; it barely reaches above mediocrity in the process.
The titular huntress (Jessica Chastain) eliminates targets around the world while keeping her profession a secret from her mother Bobbi (Geena Davies), sister Judy (Jess Weixler) and former partner Michael (Common). Things go wrong when a planned hit intended to look like a suicide goes awry and Ava soon finds she herself is a target. The film trades between action and dialogue driven moments between the characters; while it doesn’t outstay its welcome, things feel rather hollow. The anti-heroine’s backstory is mostly hand-waved through in the first act, leaving little time to develop the wider network of hitmen. On top of that, the more violent moments feel half-baked. Any escape sequences that could increase the tension are almost entirely left out of the narrative, creating a very stop-and-start feel to the action scenes. Overall, AVA’s story is very limited in its qualities and as she heads from one sequence to the next, the sense of flow is absent.
There’s a rather impressive collection of talent for AVA, but similar to the likes of The Councillor and Bird Box before it, their penchants for performing aren’t put to great use. Occasionally there are hints of a multi-layered protagonist; Ava herself is rugged and tough, but also has a soft spot for her family. Jessica Chastain does embrace the role, but her performance is merely passable. The same holds true for Ava’s close relatives; Geena Davies has done some great work in the past, but feels incredibly lacking here. Common and Weixler fare a little better as they get across the emotional strain in the family, but it doesn’t go deeper than that. As for the villains, they mostly just stand around and get angry at each other. Colin Farrell is wasted for the most part as his presence only takes hold in the final act. John Malkovich is also involved, once again given an insufficient role as Ava’s mentor that fails to properly connect. It’s difficult to care about the characters all the way through.
AVA’s presentation is just as average as its narrative and characterisation. While there are a decent number of locales and well-crafted sets, the way it is framed leaves much to be desired. The editing in the fight scenes isn’t shaky or nauseating, but it does cut often as opposed to delivering a smoother view. Issues also persist with scene transitions; often AVA will slip out of a building unnoticed and then the film immediately swaps to a new location. You’ll feel as if chunks of the film were skipped over and this only disrupts the pacing sooner. The soundtrack is mostly left to the background, sometimes being placed to fit the location but failing to make any real impact. AVA’s look and style ends up being very shallow which doesn’t sit well when you’re breaking into thriller territory.
Sure, it’s got a high tier cast, but AVA could have been a lot better. In a world of John Wicks and Atomic Blondes, you need to do a lot more to stand out in the assassin thriller genre. Just about everything in the movie feels so pedestrian and sub-standard; because of that, you’ll get a lot more entertainment from its stylised contemporaries.
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars (Mediocre)
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