The Protégé

The Protégé is just good action-y thriller-y fun with great repeat value. It falls in that mid-range budget for an action film, maybe just a few notches below the Bourne films. So it’s the perfect popcorn and movie outing for the weekend.

It’s a shame Maggie Q was so busy carrying The Protégé on her back that she couldn’t make time to kick the film’s embarrassing script into shape, too.

The Protege may not rise to the level of art, but like Anna herself, it does demonstrate a mastery of a certain set of skills, however limited.

Unfortunately, for every scene in which The Protégé seems to know exactly what it is, there’s one in which it seems to think it’s a lot smarter than it is. Given the level of talent involved, that has to count as a disappointment.

The Protégé isn’t trying to be anything more than slick, escapist action fare, but when you have the star power of the lead trio, a terrific supporting cast and what appears to be a sizable enough budget, it’s not too much to ask for a little something in the way of a cohesive script. Instead, we get two variations on the same twist, and an ending that’s both murky and irritating. Maggie Q and company deserve better.

The script is straight-up formula, which suggests few surprises, but also that the component parts should have clicked better than they did.

The Protégé is so bad that it feels like it has to be on purpose.

Yes, this movie follows a formula, one well-established by the Bournes, Bonds, Mission Impossibles, etc. But -- the formula here is well-executed and the drama is well-supported by excellent acting. I did not sense an action scene in this movie that didn't also move the plot forward organically. The story has some surprises without being preposterous. Maggie Q is very appealing in her portrayal of Anna.

Protege is an okay action thriller with an excellent cast and decent production value. The, ahem, interesting character interactions between keaton and q deserved more exploration IMO. Sadly for the most part, in such an overcrowded genre it struggles to find its own unique identity and falls into line with other more mediocre experiences. Still if you're a genre fan then there will be something here for you to enjoy.

Even though Micheal Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson are the big names, Maggie Q is the central character, who was rescued as a child during the evacuation of Vietnam by a hired assassin (Jackson continuing his irreverent attitude). Flash forward 30 years and she’s taken up the killer assignments herself. Of course, the inevitable revenge scenario takes shape without much unusual, except the curious relationship she establishes with Keaton’s character (playing devil-may-care as he does). Director Martin Campbell certainly knows his way around action scenes (he directed 2 James Bonds) and the fights (mostly hand-to-hand) are plentiful and rigorous. Basically, this is a by-the-numbers story, but it’s enjoyably acted and the skirmishes are well-staged.

I mean the movie had a star studded cast but it felt rushed and the plot was pretty flat. Not a lot of depth to this movie and the only reason I’m giving it a 3 is because Michael Keaton was alright in it.

bad [ bad ] adjective, worse, worst;(Slang) bad·der, bad·dest for 36. not good in any manner or degree.