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Movie Review: The Protégé

Mike Tyrkus

The new action, crime, thriller, The Protégé, starring the simply amazing Maggie Q, is such a treasure trove of tantalizing action sequences and delightful performances that one may finding themselves hoping that it might be that start of a lucrative franchise.

Anna (Maggie Q) is one of the more prolific contract killers in the world. But when her father figure, Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) is brutally murdered, she embarks on a quest for revenge that leads her down a rabbit hole of deceit and deadly confrontations that becomes far more complex than a simple attempt at an eye for an eye retribution.

Penned by Richard Wenk, who wrote both The Equalizer (2014) and The Equalizer 2 (2018) among others, the film plays as a standard revenge tale with a few flourishes here and there and a well-placed twist or two to keep the story fresh throughout. Martin Campbell, who also directed Casino Royale (2006), does a fantastic job of balancing the story and action here. There is never a dull moment in The Protégé and that is due in large part to the pacing as well as the kinetic action scenes coupled with stellar performances from both Maggie Q and Samuel L. Jackson.

Maggie Q as Anna in “The Protégé.” Photo Credit: Jichici Raul.

Adding to the fun being had here, Michael Keaton shows up as Rembrandt, a sort of “fixer” for someone Anna may have inadvertently crossed paths with. The relationship between Anna and Rembrandt is one of two ships that collide in the night, leaving a wake of destruction in their path kind of love stories that only adds to the macabre decadence and entertainment value of the film.

Spectacular work in art direction by Arta Tozzi, as well as set decoration from Axel Nicolet and Oana Novicov, allow The Protégé to feel a level above typical fare such as this. But, it is easily the work of Maggie Q that drives the success of the film from start to finish. She plays Anna as the next great tragic action hero and you would be hard pressed to find someone more worthy of cheering for from the beginning of her story all the way through until the end.

While The Protégé may initially present itself as a revenge action film, there is far more interesting material at play here than you might expect. This, coupled with the performances previously mentioned, makes for one of those rare films that gets better every time you see it.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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