Like so many other Luc Besson films (including those he just produces, such as this one), Colombiana has an incredibly simplistic plot. Zoe Saldana plays Cataleya, who, as a child in Colombia, sees the murder of her parents by drug dealers. She escapes and makes her way to the U.S. where she's raised by her street criminal uncle (Cliff Curtis). Cataleya has only one goal in life: Kill those responsible for her parents' death. She grows up to become a ruthless, seemingly unstoppable assassin, but at what cost? Think of Cataleya as Natalie Portman's character in The Professional if she'd grown up to be an assassin.
The film's predictable plot and skimpy characterizations are offset by its thrilling action set-pieces and a better cast than a movie of this sort usually lands. Director Olivier Megaton (whose name could only be cooler if it was really Brando Optimus) takes the whole matter seriously -- perhaps a bit too seriously at times -- but nevertheless delivers an exciting summer flick in a season remarkably devoid of straight-up action fare.
Megaton crafts a number of sensational set-pieces, including a parkour-infused chase scene between young Cataleya (Amandla Stenberg) and her parents' killers through the streets of Bogota, as well as a jailhouse hit where Cataleya has to kill her target without drawing attention to herself. These are just a few standouts in a film that's pretty much action from beginning to end. It should be noted that the film is rated PG-13 despite rampant but relatively bloodless violence and near-nudity.
There's an obligatory and boring love interest injected into the story in the person of a very wooden Michael Vartan, who plays an artist and Cataleya's f**k buddy. His scenes of wanting to know more about his mysterious lover are grating and simply don't ring true. How many guys are really going to stop from having sex with Zoe Saldana because they want to know what more about her non-romantic likes and dislikes?!
A film such as this lives or dies based on who plays the lead, and Saldana doesn't disappoint. She convinces you of Cataleya's abilities, conviction and overall damaged goods nature. Cataleya is reminiscent of comic book femme fatales like Catwoman and Elektra, while psychologically she's a cross between Batman, Dexter and Punisher. She's sexy and slinky, able to get in and out of anywhere undetected, and ruthlessly methodical in her methods of dispatching her enemies. She'll even threaten a good guy's family if he doesn't help her. Saldana, who is in nearly every scene, keeps you invested in Cataleya even at her character's nastiest. And she can also kick ass with the best of them.
Jordi Molla is underutilized as the lead villain's top henchman, although he does get one good dialogue scene with young Cataleya and a helluva brawl with Saldana later on. Lennie James plays the "Tommy Lee Jones role" as the take-charge lawman out to catch our antihero, while Curtis brings gravitas to his role as Cataleya's uncle, who reluctantly mentors her in the art of death. Smallville's Callum Blue pops up in a wasted role as a CIA tool.
Despite its borderline campiness and arrested adolescent mentality, Colombiana succeeds in delivering the goods as a fun albeit formulaic action flick that's most notable for Zoe Saldana's stone-cold yet still sexy performance.
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Connections for Colombiana
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Popular movies in this genre: 1. The Dark Knight 2. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance 3. Batman (1966) 4. Jurassic Park 5. Mad Max |
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Popular movies from this studio: 1. Courageous 2. District 9 3. Total Recall (1990) 4. Colombiana 5. Short Circuit |
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