Kate

The current pandemic seems to have redrawn some of the cards. While cinemas, whether in the United States or in France, are really suffering from the release of the main blockbusters at the same time, whether on Disney + or HBO Max, or in France of a health pass that really limits the number of people entering theaters, streaming platforms are experiencing an unprecedented boom and are especially able to offer us excellent programs, whether films or series. Netflix remains the leader on the market of streaming platforms because this platform has always known how to stay tuned to its audience but also to offer a wide range of films whether independent productions, blockbusters cut for a cinema release but which are offered directly on Netflix. 

In this case, Kate is not only an excellent action movie with some points of humor rather well brought but especially relies on an actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead who has always chosen her films with particular care. Whether it is Final Destination 3 (2006), Death Proof (2007), Die Hard 4: Back to Hell (2007), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Smashed (2012), The Spectacular Now (2013), 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and many others, this actress has been able to diversify with talent her wide palette.

In the same way, the impact of recent and very successful action films such as the cinematographic saga John Wick but also Atomic Blonde (the presence of David Leitch in the production is certainly a good sign) has redefined and influenced the current cinema by showing that to succeed in such films it was imperative to have a solid cast, a perfectly oiled scenario and a director who knows how to direct his film in the right direction. Kate in this sense is not a precursor and will not revolutionize the genre, but it is perfectly calibrated to keep us on the edge of our seats for almost two hours and to propose action scenes of a formidable efficiency in which Mary Elizabeth Winstead clearly imposes herself as an actress perfectly at ease in her scenes. 

Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has been raised and trained by her mentor Yannick (Woody Harrelson) to become a true killer, as meticulous and skilled in close combat as she is in the use of all weapons. However, she uncharacteristically misses a mission targeting a member of the yakuza in Tokyo because for her no child should be a target. A few months after this failed mission, she discovers that she has been poisoned at a party. This brutally slow execution gives her less than 24 hours to take revenge on her Japanese mafia killers. As her body rapidly deteriorates, Kate is forced to give herself injections to keep her strength up. She also forms an unlikely bond with a teenage girl, Ani (Miku Martineau, frontwoman of the Japanese rock band Band-Maid), the only daughter of one of her former victims. Kate will settle the score and realize that she has also been manipulated.

The director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan after his first film The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016) delivers here his second and proves to be perfectly at ease to give the necessary scope to Umair Aleem's script. The action scenes are perfectly mastered and the rhythm of the film is almost perfect and leads us to Kate's personal vendetta until the denouement that we already know is tragic. The numerous scenes between Kate and Ani work wonderfully and bring a dose of tenderness which contrasts with the violence of certain scenes.

We suspect that if the film had not been distributed by Netflix its content would have been different. This streaming platform has the will to give the necessary means to allow directors and writers to make the film they wanted and in this sense Kate is certainly one of the best action films of this year and imposes Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the worthy female successor of the actioners of the 80s. Her presence not only brings a dose of glamour perfectly dosed but also makes her character deeply human and with exemplary courage.  

Kate
Directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Written by Umair Aleem
Produced by David Leitch, Kelly McCormick, Bryan Unkeless, Scott Morgan
Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Miku Martineau, Woody Harrelson
Cinematography : Lyle Vincent
Edited by Sandra Montiel, Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir
Music by Nathan Barr
Production companies : 87North Productions, Screen Arcade
Distributed by Netflix
Release date : September 10, 2021
Running time : 106 minutes

Viewed on August 16, 2021 (Netflix Press Access)
Reviewed on September 9, 2021 at the Deauville CID (Deauville American film festival)

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