Anna (Maggie Q) is an expert international tracker and assassin who works with fellow killer Moody Dutton (Samuel L. So why does the movie so often fall so flat? The story, while thoroughly generic, seems to have enough emotional juice to keep us interested. And The Protégé feels right for his talents: It’s a revenge movie with tons of hand-to-hand combat and gunplay, filled with the kind of stunt-driven, cleanly directed mayhem that has been his forte for most of his career. Martin Campbell made three of the great tentpole action films of the past 30 years - GoldenEye, Casino Royale, and The Mask of Zorro - along with several other pretty good ones, so any new release from him should be worth celebrating. Photo: Jichici Raul/Lionsgate/Jichici Raul/Lionsgate The bones of a great assassin-thriller are here, but its lack of substance is ultimately The Protégé's downfall.Samuel L. However, the disappointment lies in the fact that after the 109-minute run time, nothing really stands out. The Protégé never tries to be anything more, which it should be applauded for. If you are walking into the theater expecting a mindless action flick, then it won't be as disappointing. There is a sense of flow to these scenes that Campbell navigates very well, it's just too bad the rest of the film is so boring. The film is at its best when the guns are out, the cast is being reckless, and everything is moving fast. He is the only character that seems truly interesting, and The Protégé would have been better served to expand on his character a bit more. No one stands out in particular, except for maybe Keaton's performance as Rembrandt. It is a shame, because if Campbell and screenwriter Richard Wenk would just have taken a little bit more time developing the story, they could have delivered a great film. The villains are even worse, as their cryptic motives never really seem intriguing, and the payoff comes across flat. The main characters aren't necessarily likeable, and viewers don't really know much about them. But this is at the expense of any sort of real plot or character development. There is a lot happening: gunfights, explosions, tension. The Protégé is one of those movies that implodes as it goes on. As Anna takes on a new job, finding their killer, she runs into a plethora of baddies, including the sophisticated and evil, Rembrandt (Michael Keaton). Her false sense of security suddenly unravels when everyone close to her is brutally murdered. After 30 years of on-the-job training, Anna finds a perfect balance in her life. Jackson), a renowned assassin who was finishing up a job in Vietnam, Anna (Maggie Q) watched her parents get brutally murdered before her eyes and grew up with a darkness inside of her thus, she was a perfect student for Moody to take in. Unfortunately, the audience doesn't get to know the characters enough to care about the revenge. The Protégé is gruesome in parts, prioritizing gory finishing kills and shock value over everything else. The film boasts a solid cast, and really does provide some engaging action, but when the credits roll, nothing memorable stands out. Very "Bond-esque" in its delivery, The Protégé plods forward with luxury and grace that is, until the story falls off the rails. Martin Campbell's latest high-action thriller is a nonstop race to the finish line, for better or worse.
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