Canary Black

This was a lot more fun than I expected. One might think one saw this same plot many times before. A highly trained woman CIA agent, whose husband has no idea what she does. Put into a blackmail situation where she is tasked to steal a highly secret and potentially explosive file if exposed. And she is given a short time to do that, and the person who is supposed to have the file on him doesn't. Of course the blackmailers won't take no for an answer. And the CIA considers that she has gone rogue. But the movie is fun to watch, and there are enough twists and turns to make things enjoyable, and builds to a nicely scripted climax.

We've seen this before. A very talented spy or thief or retired hitman is compelled to do something really really bad... perhaps even apocalyptic... to save a loved one from harm. Meanwhile said action star can't tell anybody and can't trust anybody... and everybody simply thinks the action star has gone "rogue".

If you've seen enough of these films, your antenna goes up almost immediately when you see the tortured loved one utter a dire plea "Honey.., just do what they say!" And therein lies the rub. For as talented and clever a spy as Kate Beckinsale, why couldn't she put 2 and 2 together like the rest of us.

Beckinsake, at age 51, is not quite as spry as her Underworld days or even her Total Recall stint - and even a platinum blonde wig doesn't do justice for her stunt double.

That said, highly evocative of The Blacklist and Alias in plot points and premises, the action is watchably entertaining in a streaming movie kind of way yet distinctly short of theatrical release quality.

The movie, as entertaining as it was for a Friday night on the couch, perhaps takes itself too seriously in pitching itself for a sequel. In the end, it felt like a pilot looking for a network pick up.

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.

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.