Dog’s Movie House: “The Protege” A Hard Hitting Action Flick With A Couple Of Fun Variations!

“The Protege” tells the tale of Anna (Maggie Q) a professional assassin who works with an older killer named Moody (Jackson). Moody rescued Anna as a child from Vietnam thirty years prior and the two have been inseperable ever since. During their most recent job things go sideways resulting in Moody’s death along with the death of all of Anna’s associates, forcing Anna to go undercover to find out what happened and, when the time is right, exact revenge for the deaths of her friends.

All of this is pretty standard stuff, but ace action director Martin Campbell (“Goldeneye,” “Casino Royale”) gives a real visceral feel to the film. This is the first action film in awhile that doesn’t try to ape “John Wick” and the film is better for it. Richard Wenks’ script knows what it is, but he’s able to provide some quirky details and more character than your average revenge flick and the film is also better for it.

It helps that Campbell has a trio of terrific actors to work with, starting with the wonderful Maggie Q. Although she’s primarily known for her television work (the excellent “Nikita”) Q is a magnetic presence. She’s far from a robotic killing machine and she is able to project vulnerability and toughness in equal measure. She may have to deliver some melodramatic dialogue but, at least upon the first viewing, it doesn’t feel melodramatic. Q’s Anna is a character you can root for despite her profession and that’s pretty special given what she does for a living. Jackson is in familiar territory as Moody, but he’s able to give the older assassin a sense of nobility. There is a scene in the movie in which he confronts his own failings as he’s intimidating a target that is more layered and nuanced than most dialogue in films like this and this is due in major part to Jackson’s heartfelt delivery.

The ace of this film, however, is Michael Keaton as Rembrandnt, the primary troubleshooter for the bad guys. Rembrandt is a bit conflicted over Anna as he finds her both attractive and dangerous, sometimes at the same time. The banter between Anna and Rembrandnt is one of the best things about the film. The dialogue between the two would have been borderline risable in the hands of less capable actors, but Keaton and Q make it sparkle and dance. The also have a couple of bravura fight scenes together that are both ornate and brutal at the same time. Maggie Q is a veteran cinematic asskicker who is believable as an assassin and Keaton is in marvelously good shape for a man in his mid-sixties. There is a scene in which Rembrandt is jumped by his own associates that is a wonderful bit of choreography and Keaton is wonderful here.

“The Protege” is not perfect. The script is a tad cliche-ridden at times and there are the missteps that many action films take, including the role (or non-role, as the case may be) of the police and the dubious sources of funding and inter-office politicking of certain organizations. We really don’t even find out who Moody and Anna work for. It would have been nice to see if they were free-lancers (they do get paid a lot of money) or government employees. Also, some of the scenes seem to be extended for the sake of the choreography as opposed to serving the story.

These are small nitpicks, however, and “The Protege” has enough originality and bone-crunching action to set it apart (albeit by a very small amount) from other action films of its type. This is one of those films that is going to have a long shelf life, especially on streaming and cable. See it for the action and the leads, especially Keaton, and enjoy the theatrical experience if you can. 4 Out Of 5 on Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

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