Between Zeta-Jones and the electric ensemble cast, Kill Jackie does everything it can to build a grounded narrative, twist and contort itself into a fun, fast-paced mystery, and resolve its story with a path forward if it wants to continue.

Audiences will likely stick around for the entire frenetic ride, but by the end they may also be left asking the question: What does Jackie Price actually want — and why should we care?

But a decent cast and lively accent work cannot compensate for this hackneyed late entry in the genre of overcooked hitman comedy or for the stonking lack of originality that oozes from the show’s every pore.

Shallowly conceived and haphazardly constructed, Kill Jackie is a thriller fatally short on thrills.

Lacks virtually everything it needs—inspiration, cleverness, hilarity, suspense—and its cartoonishness is so extreme that it murders any chance at being taken seriously.

It is a script that badly needs help from a charismatic lead performance, but Zeta-Jones refuses point-blank. .... There’s no need for anyone to kill Jackie. She was never alive.