The Killer, 2024.
Directed by John Woo.
Starring Nathalie Emmanuel, Omar Sy, Sam Worthington, Diana Silvers, Éric Cantona, Saïd Taghmaoui, Tchéky Karyo, Grégory Montel, Angeles Woo, Aurélia Agel, Elie Haddad, Hugo Diego Garcia, David Clark, Guillaume Kerbusch, Michaël Erpelding, and Fabrice Scott.
SYNOPSIS:
An assassin tries to make amends in an effort to restore the sight of a beautiful young singer.
Legendary director John Woo’s remake of The Killer is inferior in every single way to his 1989 original, and yet it still outshines most Hollywood action. One also wonders the point of remaking one of his most acclaimed features. A striking shot blending reflections of an assassin and police officer, as if they are the same, might have something to do with it. Aside from similar characters and locales for action sequences, it is surprising how much this version differs from the original. In some ways, it comes down to disappointingly sanitizing violence (don’t expect bodies riddled with bullet holes and copious amounts of blood or unabashed grittiness), but there is also an interest in revamping the story, for better and worse (some of the choices here seem made to further transform this into a more accessible version with some optimism and happiness.)
However, John Woo can still construct the hell out of an elaborate action sequence, cleverly utilizing the environment and geographical space of a location for movement and stunts that come across as poetic as his trademark melodrama. Some of those stunts and action sequences also arrive in what feels like a greatest-hits package of memorable, stylistic, action-packed visuals (not to mention an excessive amount of white doves), now in France. It’s also difficult to label any of this as lazy since the hard work from the cast and crew is on full display with practical effects and the previously mentioned stuntwork. It’s exciting that John Woo is still making movies (although admittedly, there has been a decline in quality), but also refreshing that he is making them in ways that they simply don’t often make movies anymore.
Working with screenwriters Brian Helgeland, Josh Campbell, and Matt Stuecken (the crowded element of that team is undoubtedly felt during an elongated metal stretch that probably could have used some trimming, especially since this version is about 15 minutes longer than the original while also coming with plot beats that could be argued as overly cliché in 2024), John Woo sticks with the basic story framework of an assassin with a code who becomes wrapped up in a young singer (Diana Silvers) losing her eyesight, amid a hit.
This time, the assassin is Zee (Nathalie Emmanuel, appropriately cold and withdrawn but lacking the effortless coolness of Chow Yun-fat), and her involvement in the injury is much less direct, but enough so that she gets cold feet when her handler Finn (Sam Worthington) insists that the loose end be dealt with whether or not it appears she will talk to the police. He doesn’t plan on letting her leave the assassination game if she doesn’t. What’s frustrating is that the singer appears to be an afterthought in this version, given no emotional arc whatsoever and rarely figuring into the action.
That extremism is also because an outlandish amount of missing money and drugs are in play, bringing everyone from Saudi princes to gangsters and crooked police officers into this sphere. Omar Sy’s Detective Sey finds himself connected to the case after killing a man in possession of drugs who had been texting that singer immediately before violence erupted. A game of cat and mouse hunting the singer begins between Zee and Sey, leading to each other and targeting each other’s code of honor. Sure, it’s the “you and I are the same” trope but executed with slightly more substance.
The details of this case and the inevitable series of betrayals make for familiar material, but John Woo keeps the proceedings electric due to the staging of the action sequences, most notably the climactic sequence once again set inside a church. It’s an extended slice of chaos allowing Nathalie Emmanuel to give her best shot at daring acrobatic feats and dual-handgun wielding gun-fu. Meanwhile, Omar Sy plays an efficient mind and brawler who gets to be the butt of one or two playfully subversive jokes regarding John Woo/classic Hong Kong action bits. Sam Worthington also makes up for thin villain characterization by being plain cruel and unlikable, using his Irish accent to menacing effect.
Again, nothing here necessarily holds a candle to the original, but it’s far from a cynical and uninspired shot-for-shot remake. It is still adrenaline-fuelled watching John Woo pull off his distinct brand of action and rework the story beats in ways that potentially reflect how he has changed as a storyteller and person. The Killer is a thrill ride that showcases that his knack for melodrama remains a gift just as much as the action.
SEE ALSO: The Essential Films of John Woo
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
