The right way to write her.
Kate is an action thriller movie that tells the story of a ruthless working assassin in Tokyo named Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), whose operation is monitored by her mentor and handler Varrick (Woody Harrelson). After being poisoned during her supposedly last mission, she decided to use her last 24 hours to find out who set her up, all with her deteriorating health and the unexpected company of a Yakuza family member (Miku Martineau) of her past victim.
After being sick of Hollywood's brilliant idea of making the female version of every single male-led franchise in order to create the so-called strong female character, to me, this movie is the firm answer to that chaos. The combination of the brilliant writing by Umair Aleem and Winstead's forever strong on-screen presence are the ingredients of Kate's perfection. In this movie, we get to see the realistic version of an action movie heroine embarking on her journey to find the culprit, with all the mess, bruises, bloody clothing, and a beat-up look. Why does she look like that? Well maybe it's because she had just fought tens of gang members, got some hits back, and killed some! I wish producers know that there's no need to cover up these kinds of characters with glamorous makeup or keep her hair flawless because it simply does not make any sense up to the point it's hilariously obnoxious. To sum it up: Kate is perfect because she is realistic.
Kate's character would be imperfect without the fine-quality choreography. But worry not, because this movie provides it and the best part is that instead of using the shaky-cam style, they opted for a more stable shot so we get to see everything, enjoy every frame and just simply being more immersed in the action. Oh, that includes some close-ups on finger slicing and face stabbing. The other notable aspect is the cinematography. It goes beyond catching the pretty sights of Japan's neon lights. And with my little knowledge that is close to none about filmmaking, I love the use of wide-angle lenses in several scenes. The way I see it, it heightened the character's arc and the tension.
Another aspect that is worth discussing is the wildcard Ani, portrayed by the newcomer Miku Martineau. This is the first movie of her that I've ever watched and I absolutely knew nothing about her prior to Kate. The writing of her character is (at first) focusing on how tragic her life is as a family member of a Yakuza, considering she had witnessed a murder when she was younger, and now that she is older, she is becoming a target. So I thought Ani's arc would be a giant chain of sadness. But it gets more and more interesting when her character is given a chance to become a source of humour in this movie. She is a sassy, talking-back, matter-of-factly kind of person. While that might sound like a common trait of a rebellious teenager, we need to give full credit to Martineau as well. Because she provides the key for making Ani interesting. She knows her timing, her emotions and whatever it takes to shine properly. Martineau definitely deserves to be in more movies. Even bigger than Kate, if I may suggest.
While I keep on pressing on how good the character writing is, alas, the villain is not one of them. Even watching it until the end with supposedly a plot twist, to me, there's not much of a revealing moment or even a dangerous presence of a villain. Up until the moment I'm writing this review, I'm still wondering whether it's because I was so invested in the protagonists' arcs or the villain's lack of charm was simply it is what it is. Instead, Miyavi's character as Jojima as one of the Yakuza members that appears as a small part of this movie gives a more lasting impression, long after finishing this movie.
Nevertheless, there's more goodness in this movie that makes Kate worth watching rather than hanging on to the missing aspects. 'Kate' is now streaming on Netflix.
Happy watching!
Comentários