Kate Movie Review
Kate is Netflix’s newest original movie starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the titular Kate, a world-class assassin working for a criminal organization. She is the best there is at what she does, and she never misses her target. At least until she does. Someone poisoned her the night before the hit throwing her off her game, and she is rapidly dying. She’s got less than a day to get revenge on her soon-to-be killer before the posion finishes the job and her only aid comes in the form of the teenage daughter of one of her earlier hits.
The movie is a slick, violent, action-thriller in the vain of John Wick that takes place in the seedy underbelly of Japan. Just because the premise may sound familiar doesn’t mean that it offers nothing of substance. There are a couple of motifs and themes peppered throughout that directly drive the characters’ motivations grounding its stylish action in competent character writing and dialogue. It marries style and substance in a way that most films with this much focus on action fail to achieve if they even try at all. There are even a few narrative curveballs that take the characters in different directions and adds layers of intrigue to them and to the plot making the movie stand out from its contemporaries.
Each actor brings an adeptness to their respective roles with the relationship between Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s titular “Kate” and her young co-star, who I don’t want to spoil, being the emotional core that carries the film. Her co-star is a particular stand-out in what I hope will be her break-out role for the dynamic range of expression and emotion she brought to the table.
The soundtrack is composed of Japanese Pop and hip-hop bangers that pair excellently with the setting and tone that had me wanting to download the score to my playlist.
The camerawork thankfully takes another note from John Wick’s playbook opting to omit any needless shaky cam or quick cuts to allow viewers to focus on the excellent choreography.
The film’s plot requires that the pacing balances sequences of flashy action with introspective character moments without dawdling to the point of losing the sense of urgency created by its premise of a dying protagonist.
Its clear that the filmmakers had a well-defined vision in mind when putting the movie together. Every aspect of the film is thoughtfully and carefully crafted resulting in a low-key masterpiece.
