Ava

Seem to have seen many almost the same films over the past few years. Assassin with military background falling foul of her employers who turn on her. The only difference with this one was there is almost no story, why are people being killed, why turn on such a good operative. I would have walked out but it was raining

How and why would you take a hit-man (hit-"person" to be politically correct) genre that's been done so many times before, screw it up, AND turn it into a soap opera?

I mean this whole Michael thing is straight out of "Days of Our Lives". Why not create a heartfelt conflict between the sisters and their mom, instead of just seemingly-random cast Common as Michael. Like my heading says, a 5th grader could've written (and directed) this better. I get that actor/trying-to-become-a-writer Matthew Newton is a newb, but to have such an all-star talent line-up, you'd think he would've at least had a seasoned writer proofread the script to avoid embarrassment. His screenplay was riddled with plot and technical issues, it was convoluted, and borderline laughable. Only in the last approx. 15 mins did it grab and hold my attention.

To make matters worse, actor/trying-to-become-a-director Tate Taylor failed miserably in directing his cast, and certain scenes were horribly directed. Don't get me started on the lame action scenes. Right from the start, Jessica Chastain was unconvincing as an assassin, and I know in front of a seasoned director, she would've nailed it. Even A-list actors need direction in scenes. With Taylor, her fight scenes were phony, as was her character.

I feel really bad for the A-listers having this mess on their resume. This type of filmmaking is more suited for the Steven Seagal and Bruce Willis has-been B-movie type actors. Now, watch seasoned filmmaker Luc Besson's "Anna", who cast (as a lead!) never-heard-of amateur actress (in her first-ever acting role) Sasha Luss, and his writing, directing and action scenes will blow your mind, especially compared to this mess! The moral of this story here is, don't blow your money on A-list actors in hopes they will make your film a success; instead, put that money towards film school, then cast a Sasha Luss type newb actor, and you'll have a better chance for a successful film. It's a very generous 6/10 from me - mostly out of pity for the A-listers.

This film is centred on Ava Faulkner, an assassin with addiction problems and a desire to know why her victims are being targeted. This latter quirk bothers her employers. Duke, her direct superior and father figure wants to protect her but others, higher up, believe she is a liability. After an operation goes wrong due to faulty intelligence she suspects that her employers want her dead. Duke tries to persuade her that she is just being paranoid. If that weren't enough there are problems with her family; her ex-boyfriend Michael, who is now her sister's fiancé, has gambling problems which have led to large debts.

I thought this started well and was intrigued by Ava's life as an assassin... I assumed that the plot would eventually lead to who her employers were and what their motives were. Instead it led to the unnecessary subplot involving Michael; this felt a distraction from the main story, as if the makers thought they had an hour's worth of material and needed to pad the film out to an hour and a half. It is a pity they didn't pad it with a bit more action connected to the main plot as what we got there was exciting and well-choreographed; the fights had an impressively physical feel to them. There are of course plenty of clichés but that goes with the genre. Jessica Chastain gives an impressive performance as Ava and John Malkovich and Colin Farrell are solid as Duke and antagonist Simon respectively. Geena Davis is fun as Ava's mother, although her presence made me think of her lead in 'The Long Kiss Goodnight'; a superior female lead action film. Overall it passes the time well enough if you are a fan of the genre but is hardly a must see.

1st half builds some momentum but 2nd half doesn't live up to expectations. Acting is good and good OTT watch.

The first 30 minutes were really promising. Good action, suspenseful vibe, great acting... but as soon as one of the secondary character Michael appears, everything flops. Not only because of his insecure and awkwardly mediocre acting, which reminded me of some cheap drama or love story soap opera... but because he represents an entry point into Ava's past. A boring past which has nothing to add to the story or her character.

So if we crop off all the family stuff and stick to the action... then it could be a solid 7. In stead it is a poor 6.

Worth mentioning: Jessica Chastain and John Malkovich performances are great. Colin Farrell somehow sticks to his (good) average, but who really disappoints is Geena Davis. Her approach personally felt to me like "Let's make it clear - I'll say some words, get the money and leave."