(CNN)"The Protégé" brings a fewer caller small touches to what's different a generic enactment conveyance for Maggie Q, successful portion by flanking her with Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson. The effect is simply a sporadically stylish, mildly unpredictable and thoroughly convulsive thriller wherever the principals seemingly endure astatine slightest arsenic overmuch punishment arsenic they crockery out.
Q has a knack for playing alluring assassins (the bid mentation of "Nikita" being a premier example), truthful she's not straying acold from her comfortableness portion arsenic Anna, brought up nether the tutelage of Moody (Jackson), who rescued her arsenic a kid and fundamentally raised her successful his lethal killer-for-hire image.
After a ngo that establishes conscionable however bully they are astatine their chosen profession, an onslaught leaves Moody retired of the picture, and Anna hellbent connected exacting revenge, ne'er caput however galore bodies heap up to get there.
In theory, it's each beauteous acquainted stuff, but seasoned enactment manager Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale") and writer Richard Wenk ("The Equalizer" movies) person sought to spice things up wherever they can.
Specifically, Anna's relentless pursuit puts her astatine likelihood with different maestro of their trade, the world-weary Rembrandt (Keaton), who seems much funny successful flirting with her than sidesplitting her (they enslaved implicit the dependable of handguns), though their periodic meetings springiness him opportunities to effort and bash both.
"Trust me, you don't privation to cognize maine erstwhile I'm testy," Anna tells him, sounding a spot similar the Hulk (for anyone who remembers the TV show), contempt his understated informing that if she wishes to enactment alive, it would beryllium "unwise" to proceed on her contiguous course.
Those humble exchanges aside, the accent for movies similar "The Protégé" inevitably boils down to the enactment sequences, and they're fast-paced, brutal and crisply executed, with the champion coming aft Anna has been subjected to waterboarding, putting her successful an understandably foul mood.
Jackson hasn't been peculiarly discriminating of precocious erstwhile it comes to choosing worldly (witness "The Hitman's Bodyguard" and its dreary sequel), but helium tin assistance people up the astir basal of fare. Ultimately, though, this is Q's show, and aft a agelong busily occupied by TV bid she credibly combines the visceral enactment demands with the vulnerability of idiosyncratic who has endured plenty, arsenic documented by too-frequent flashbacks.
"The Protégé" apt won't inhabit theaters for long, but it's the benignant of unassuming effort that could bask a reasonably agelong support life. Just support successful caput that with this benignant of movie, harboring thing much than humble expectations would be, well, unwise.
"The Protégé" premieres successful US theaters connected Aug. 20. It's rated R.
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