Kate (Netflix) Movie Review & Comments

Casimir Harlow

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Ah, the trusty Cas 6 :)

To be honest I'll watch anything with the lovely Mary :love:

Sounds worth a look anyway. What I'd describe as a typical Netflix jobber.
 
Kate (2021) Netflix

"Got any Boom Boom Lemon?"

The latest Netflix action thriller arrives with little fanfare, but is actually a decent addition to the genre. Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars as the title character, a highly trained assassin, and we're dropped instantly into the story with her on a very high profile hit. So far, so run of the mill. It shifts up as gear as Kate finds herself with just 24 hours left breathing oxygen (that old chestnut!) as dark(er) forces have administered her with something very nasty indeed. Thoughts of D.O.A and Crank immediately sprung to mind as she embarks on a mission to avenge her 'death'.
It's predictable, undemanding stuff, wheeling out cliches thick and fast, but Winstead and to a lesser extent, young co-star Miku Martineau, really give it their all. It made me wonder how Winstead's Birds Of Prey role could barely register when she absolutely owns every scene in this. She's very much a complete bad ass, as the unflinchingly, bone crunching (and very graphic) violence is meted out. But this is no indestructible herione - she's also on the receiving end of some serious pain. It doesn't shy away from her rapidly deteriorating health either...
Woody Harrelson adds a touch of class in a supporting role, but make no mistake, this is Mary Elizabeth's show!
Given it's Japanese setting, and frequent close combat setpieces, Winstead has shades of a Beatrix Kiddo like rampage. Hell, she even rocks some Asics Onitsuka Tiger sneakers, mirroring 'The Bride's' stylish footwear. The fight scenes owe a lot to John Wick (in a good way), and are very slickly choreographed, with an effectively used neon drenched backdrop.
There is a bit of a misstep with an early car chase sequence that is so heavily cg assisted, Vin Diesel would blush. There's also not a whole lot of original content here, and the film doesn't have much new to say, but it's stylish as hell, never less than highly entertaining, and has one or two genuinely moving moments in all the chaos - what more do you want on the weekend?!
One for a Friday evening.
7/10

P.S. Ufortunately, anyone craving Kate's sought after citrus tipple will be disappointed - it only exists in the the Netflix world!
 
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I would agree with a 7. Had some good moments but obviously the end was very, very predictable. Winstead was great as usual.
 
Cas, there's far more tepid stuff on Netflix deserving of a 6! Despite it's super generic premise, Winstead really elevates this above the usual stuff. A unexpectedly strong showing from her, and director Cedric Nicholas-Troyan doing a fine job given the material, make it one I might just rewatch...
 
Cas, there's far more tepid stuff on Netflix deserving of a 6! Despite it's super generic premise, Winstead really elevates this above the usual stuff. A unexpectedly strong showing from her, and director Cedric Nicholas-Troyan doing a fine job given the material, make it one I might just rewatch...

Yup, I put all that in the review. But the ending easily lost it a point for me. Utterly unearned, and didn't really feel very satisfying at all. Actually liked the Japanese Oyabun samurai showdown a lot more.

I think, as I mentioned, if you view it as the Huntress movie we'll never get from Winstead, it's much more rewarding.

I wouldn't haggle with a 6.5, but that end meant I wasn't rounding up.
 
Yup, I put all that in the review. But the ending easily lost it a point for me. Utterly unearned, and didn't really feel very satisfying at all. Actually liked the Japanese Oyabun samurai showdown a lot more.

I think, as I mentioned, if you view it as the Huntress movie we'll never get from Winstead, it's much more rewarding.

I wouldn't haggle with a 6.5, but that end meant I wasn't rounding up.
I had no problem with the ending, and thought the last shot was spot on in particular. Very
unexpectedly moving. Even though it was never in doubt, Kate's death stare really got me in the feels. Despite her being an ice cold killer, her traumatic journey as her health fails, and her growing of a conscience made me sad to see her go...
 
I had no problem with the ending, and thought the last shot was spot on in particular. Very
unexpectedly moving. Even though it was never in doubt, Kate's death stare really got me in the feels. Despite her being an ice cold killer, her traumatic journey as her health fails, and her growing of a conscience made me sad to see her go...
Fair

On the other hand, I thought her journey was utterly wasted by the ending. The revelation anticlimactic and massively telegraphed. Completely derivative. Oh look, her mentor, who she trusted all along, was bad, who knew, who knew. Their conversation offered no closure ("I do love you" "You only love yourself"), and she battled all those people for what? I think I'd have actually preferred if she'd survived. The end is the beginning and all that.

Perhaps the should have fully Man on Fire'd it and had her dying to actually save the girl (who also seldom felt in any danger - why were they keeping her locked up when they thought Kate was dead?) rather than just getting that final shot off and collapsing.

But, as I say, oddly I'd have preferred her surviving. I wonder whether, if this is a success, they'll find some way. Winstead is great in the role, and Netflix could do with more of this. I mean, unlike the set-up-for-a-sequel Jolt, this one actually could do with one.
 
it was a very fun watch for me and a 6 or 7 rating could be easily agreed. and I was sold at Ms Winstead anyway
 
Just watched this tonight. Great fun and superbly styled. Solid 7 for me.
It kept me entertained and at no point did I feel the need to skip ahead which I so often do now on some Netflix dirge.
 
Entertaining enough, but as the review mentioned we've seen so many similar female-led assassin films lately and it borrowed a ton of things from various other films. The twist was very predictable. Loved the visuals, quite atmospheric at times. Mary Elizabeth Winstead was born to play a role like this, but the star of the show is the actress who played Ani, she added a lot of fun to the film and had some great lines.

Definitely not a waste of time, especially if you enjoy these John Wick-esque films and this is one of the better ones even if it does seem to patch together ideas from a ton of similar films. I just wanted things to go up a notch though. After the amazing choreography/stunt work in the John Wick movies the benchmark is high and this didn't quite reach those heights.

6.5/10
 
Going with a 6. Was ok. Nothing more.
 
5/10 predictable fodder offering nothing more. I couldn’t empathise with Kate at all. Looks fantastic with its neon drenched Tokyo in 4K setting.

Yes I suspect I was mostly empathising with Winstead and her unleashed Huntress-esque persona, post-BOP. Without that, I didn’t much care for Kate.
 
Of the recent spate of actresses who have embarked upon an action surge of this ilk - Kate Beckinsale's Jolt, Jessica Chastain's Ava, and some Besson-muse supermodel's Anna - Winstead is comfortably the most convincing in this kind of role

Caveat, not seen this yet, and whilst she may be convincing, I already know that Kate Beckinsdale in Total Recall is the gold standard. She could be my murderous, lying, deceitful, ex-wife any day.
 
Of the recent spate of actresses who have embarked upon an action surge of this ilk - Kate Beckinsale's Jolt, Jessica Chastain's Ava, and some Besson-muse supermodel's Anna - Winstead is comfortably the most convincing in this kind of role

Caveat, not seen this yet, and whilst she may be convincing, I already know that Kate Beckinsdale in Total Recall is the gold standard. She could be my murderous, lying, deceitful, ex-wife any day.
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Obviously in the minority but I had a blast with Anna.
 
Winstead certainly tries her best as plain Jane without a huge ego but this is definitely a 6 at best.
If Harrelson hadn't redone his Solo role with rehashed lines and, the hospital doctor had found and mainlined some Boob Boom Lemon in her from the off...
 
I think i’d take Charlize in Atomic over any of the above.

If it involves Lycra though, Ms Beckinsale wins by default :D
 
I think i’d take Charlize in Atomic over any of the above.

If it involves Lycra though, Ms Beckinsale wins by default :D
For me it needs to be over the line of realistic, without the grit. Hair, makeup still intact, a bit of sweat and ripped clothes is allowed though, but the moves also poseur-style a la Black Widow. As for Kate in Lycra, no biting allowed, it’s just not ladylike.
 
I quite enjoyed this. Yes it's derivative, and predictable, but it looks gorgeous, has some great, crunchy, action. Bit saggy in the middle, and it was unfortunate that Woody Harrelson channeled Bruce Willis by barely even phoning it in, but Mary Elizabeth Winstead was great as Kate. If not for the obvious, I'd be up for another installment.

7/10.
 
Watched this last night throughly enjoyed it cracking picture,some lovely 4K neons haha,yeah we’ve seen it all before with John Wick,Leon and many other similar films but this hit the spot,better than that one with Jessica Chastain in(can’t remember the name)loved how brutal she is killing everyone in her path,and that scene that’s similar to the bride taking down the crazy 88(even got some Onitsuka Tiger trainers on😉) also maybe it’s me but if they was to do another Alien film and Weaver didn’t want to reprise her role I think Winstead could pull it off I thought she looked a bit similar in a certain scene a solid 5/5 for me and much better than some other stinkers on Netflix
 
It’s got to look great at the very least so will check it out for the visuals. Everything is getting a bit generic and video gamey lately though. Little in the way of innovation.
 

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