Released: 10th September 2021
Length: 106 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Miku Martineau and Woody Harrelson
The latest addition to the edgy modern thriller archetype, Kate, comes up short in its bid to craft a self-contained story. It may be competently produced, but it needed more flair to stand out in a crowded market.
Played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, the titular woman is based in modern Japan. From an early age, she was vigorously trained to be a ruthless killer; her latest target, the leader of a venerable crime family, lands her in a heap of trouble. Poisoned with polonium from an unknown source, Kate finds herself on borrowed time. For her last night in the land of the living, the assassin seeks revenge on those who delivered her death sentence. Instead, she partners up with the young Ani (Miku Martineau), the daughter of a key crime family also marked for termination. Between Kate’s ruthlessness and Ani’s quirky demeanour, the two start to watch each other’s backs as they inch closer to the true culprits. This is a simple and straightforward setup for an action flick; there isn’t much to it beyond that. Twists involving allegiances and orchestrators are far too predictable and Kate’s race against time doesn’t pull the audience in fully.
When compared with previous efforts the leading actress is put through her paces; in addition to her rugged demeanour, Winstead gets stuck into a more physical performance. For the most part it’s successful, striking a balance between brutality and imperfection in combat. On occasion, we’ll see some flashbacks to Kate and her handler Varrick. Woody Harrelson’s performance here is aloof and calculating, a fitting persona; if only we had more scenes to build his bond with the protagonist. Ani starts out as an overly-privileged teenager, but starts committing more unsavoury acts as the film goes on; her modern ways can become grating at times, though Miku Martineau still does a reasonable job with her performance. The connections between the characters are marred by a lack of emotion and depth, mostly playing second-fiddle to the core action. On top of that, the shifting dynamics come and go with little time to take them in; towards the end of the flick, an unexpected reveal splits Kate and Ani apart, only to be repaired quickly by the climax. This lack of impact hangs over the cast, making it difficult to build audience investment. There was potential to create further intrigue with dramatic tension throughout the Yakuza syndicate as well; instead, the key reveals are handled in a highly predictable fashion.
The neon drenched streets of Osaka provide an unforgiving setting, yet in terms of both style and greater depth, Kate is very unremarkable. One brief moment involving a car chase felt very off on a visual level. While the fight scenes are well helmed, the sense of finesse and intensity is lacking. The best scene on offer here is the climax which utilises a mixture of hand-to-hand and weapon-based combat. Be that as it may, the location is rarely used to provide a stimulating backdrop; outside of dingy back-alleys and flamboyant high towers, the film’s visual identity is weak. Winstead herself has trained well for the heated moments, showing off her grittier side, but the tension can’t reach the feverpitch you’d expect. The soundtrack fares a little better, making heavy use of echoing synths to punctuate the set pieces; the use of Japanese rock band “Band-Maid” is a good fit for the proceedings.
Nearly everything about Kate is extremely forgettable, its few elements of noir-inspired action falling well short of contemporaries. While its performances are executed well on a physical level, the film is unable to set itself apart. As a result, it quickly blends in with other throwaway genre flicks.
Rating: 2/5 Stars (Disappointing)
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