Review by C.J. Bunce
John Woo’s remake of his own 1989 movie The Killer is so different it could have been called something else, and that’s a good thing because it arrives as one of the best action movies of the year. Stylish in its cinematography (Oscar-winning Mauro Fiore) and musical score (Oscar-nominated Marco Beltrami), it taps into the best action movie tropes of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It has international flare, set in Paris, and will have you hoping the Broccoli family looks to Woo for their next James Bond movie. But best of all, leads Nathalie Emmanuel (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Fast X, The Invitation) and Omar Sy (X-Men: Days of Future Past) are perfect action movie leads with a chemistry that will have you hoping for a sequel. One of the best direct-to-streaming movies yet, The Killer is now streaming on Peacock.
It stars Nathalie Emmanuel, the badass, kick-ass co-star of the Fast & Furious movies, who also dazzled in Army of Thieves and The Dark Crystal: The Age of Resistance as the voice of Deet. It comes from action movie director John Woo, who gave us Mission: Impossible II and the brilliant adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s short story Paycheck, and a script by Brian Helgeland, who delivered the one-of-a-kind A Knight’s Tale, and lots of other genre favorites.
Emmanuel plays Zee, a hired gun who has been groomed into becoming a decisive killer by a mobster, Sam Worthington’s Finn. When Finn betrays those he is working for, it puts Zee in the crosshairs. Zee eliminates a roomful of targets for Finn at a fancy Paris club, but inadvertently blinds a young woman, Jenn, played by Diana Silvers. Zee’s personal code prevents her from killing Jenn so she hides her from those who want every last loose thread tied up.
The only real tie to the original is this blinded victim as collateral damage. But John Woo does something quite incredible here: The movie has no sex, gratuitous violence, excess profanity, or nudity. And it’s all the better for it. That doesn’t mean the film isn’t abundantly stylish and sexy. But its R rating is a bit silly. Although the previews suggested it was going to be like Atomic Blonde, it actually has better direction and a tighter, cleverer script.
Emmanuel and her stunt double pull off a lot of great stunt choreography, the kind that is well-framed and artistic. Clever wipes and camera angles abound. It might remind you of Atomic Blonde or Bullitt, or The Man from U.N.C.L.E. remake. Yes, that’s a lot of very different things.
If you like deliberate, stylish, attractive action movies, like the best Bond movies or the Zen TV series, you won’t want to miss The Killer. It’s up there with 6 Underground, at the top of half a decade of direct-to-Netflix movies. The Killer is now streaming on Peacock.
