Canario negro

Canary Black is an action drama directed by Pierre Morel, director of Taken and Peppermint.

CIA agent Avery Graves (Kate Beckinsale) is blackmailed by terrorists when they kidnap her husband and threaten to kill him if she doesn't do what they ask of her. Avery has to steal the digital program Canary Black, but has to turn against her own agency to do so. This puts her in direct conflict with the terrorists and her own and other secret agent agencies.

After Taken, Pierre Morel has not had such success with action films. The script of a novice writer doesn't really help either, especially when the story comes across as a lesser mix between Taken and Peppermint, or other similar action films.

The action scenes are also too lively, with too much editing between the scenes or too zoomed in on the screen. As a result, they remain difficult to follow, or they seem unbelievable. As a result, there is little tension or entertainment left. Because of all these messy aspects, the cast members also get few opportunities to really come across well or believably.

After an assignment in Tokyo, the dangerous CIA assassin Avery "Ave" Graves (Kate Beckinsale) returns home in Croatia to celebrate her marriage anniversary with her beloved husband David Brooks (Rupert Friend). Ave is a lonely woman that was raised to be a CIA operative since she was a teenager by her chief and friend Jarvis Hedlund (Ray Stevenson), the only person she trusts besides David. Out of the blue, David is kidnapped, and the kidnaper orders Ave to retrieve the Canary Black file that is hidden in the tooth of a CIA prisoner. She lures Agent Maxfield (Jaz Hutchins), who is responsible for the prisoner, but she does not find any file in the tooth. Now she is chased by the CIA that believe she is a traitor and has the Black Canary file; by the criminals who abducted David, since they also believe she has the file; and the Croatia Secret Service that has team up with the CIA to capture her. Meanwhile the clock is ticking, and David's life is in serious danger, and Ave needs to retrieve the Black Canary to save him.

"Canary Black" (2024) is one of those action movies where the viewer cannot think, such the number of flaws and holes in the screenplay. Avery Graves does not tell her friend and boss Jarvis Hedlund that her husband was kidnapped. After the messy situation she has created, she calls him, and he betrays her. When she finds the hideout of the criminals, he goes alone, with no backup from the CIA. She never shows the photography of David Brooks to the CIA personnel to prove he was kidnapped. David is shot in the stomach but fights, runs and jumps as if it was nothing. The consequences of the blackout in Singapore are never shown. Would it be so difficult to track down the bank account of the criminals since they involved all the countries in the world? The usual exaggeration is awful in this situation. The lovely Kate Beckinsale has a weird voice and accent as if she had been dubbed, and her thin lips with botox are not beautiful. The use of the unoriginal idea of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005) does not work well in this movie. Unfortunately, this is the last movie of Ray Stevenson, who mysteriously died in Italy. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Canário Negro" ("Canary Black")

I love Kate Beckinsale. In the past she delivered some really fun movies to watch but this film...Just ugh, not that great. Plot and story is blah and predictable. Why didn't they just kept her as an English agent? And for many scenes I didn't recognize her. I know we all age and it's fine but it just doesn't even look like her. Seems there had been some work done on the face but that's not even the important part, her acting is completely off. Just seems like a Temu version of the Kate we know. This movie made it seem like she's a mediocre actress who accepted this role for the heck of it. So disappointing...

With a decent cast of familiar faces, passable action sequences, and some strange editing choices, this film delivers a safe/predictable take on the spy-action genre. It's a by-the-numbers experience that doesn't raise any eyebrows and is ultimately forgettable. It has a somewhat interesting change to the expected premise that doesn't really last long or pay off. Soon, we're back to a familiar "doomsday device" and world-ending MacGuffin plot that must be kept from falling into the wrong hands. An added attempt at a romance subplot that falls flat end up feeling underdeveloped and unnecessary. Lastly, the final 20 minutes are unexciting and predictable filler, dragging the movie to a close without much fanfare.

I wasn't expecting much.. but it still managed to be somewhat disappointing.

"Canary Black," directed by Pierre Morel (also known for "Peppermint"), delivers a solid dose of action, though it doesn't quite hit the mark like some of his previous work. Kate Beckinsale leads the charge with Rupert Friend and the late Ray Stevenson in support, but despite a strong cast, the film struggles with some corny dialogue and pacing issues. It takes a while for the story to pick up steam, and when it does, you're met with a number of plot holes that are hard to ignore. However, if you're willing to look past the flaws, it's still a fun, adrenaline-fueled ride. It's not groundbreaking, but for those craving an action flick, it gets the job done.