What’s It About
Avery Graves, a CIA operative, is blackmailed by terrorists into betraying her own country to save her kidnapped husband. Cut off from her team, she turns to her underworld contacts to survive.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
In “Canary Black,” Kate Beckinsale plays CIA operative Avery Graves, an elite agent forced to rescue her kidnapped husband from the clutches of some espionage-betrayal entanglement. The movie opens in Tokyo, where Graves takes on Japanese crime syndicates in a pre-credits opening salvo that is supposed to establish Graves’ hand-to-hand credentials, if not the originality of the movie itself. The plot kicks into gear when Graves’ civilian husband, David (Rupert Friend), vanishes from their home in Zagreb, Croatia. His captors, led by terrorist Breznov (Goran Kostic), demand she locate a mysterious software program called “Canary Black” within nine hours. This program supposedly houses compromising information about every government employee worldwide – a convenient MacGuffin that drives the plot forward. Beckinsale moves through action sequences with undeniable physical grace, dispatching waves of larger opponents through martial arts and gunplay. And yet, her character always emerges from these rough actions virtually unscathed, with little more than makeup-added bruises, and in an impossibly stylish manner. It’s a bit farfetched that this spy would favor skin-tight leather pants and high-heeled combat boots, even if they do match well with the chocolate leather trenchcoat given by her husband. The best dynamic that arises is between Graves and her immediate superior, Jarvis Hedlund (Ray Stevenson). Their shared backstory since “Kandahar” develops a genuine relationship of caution and trust. The film’s most compelling relationship emerges between Graves and her direct supervisor, Jarvis Hedlund (Ray Stevenson). Their shared history since “Kandahar” creates a believable dynamic of mutual trust and vigilance. When Graves goes rogue to save her husband, CIA Deputy Director Evans (Ben Miles) tasks Hedlund and Agent Maxfield (Jaz Hutchins) with tracking her down, adding tension to their established bond. For its first hour, “Canary Black” struggles to break free from genre conventions. A subplot regarding software hidden in a Croatian prisoner’s tooth is both bizarre and pointless, serving as the best example of how the film sometimes gets it wrong and tips into absurdity. The action is capably staged but echoes of spy thrillers’ umpteen plots. Graves dodges an improbable amount of gunfire while systematically eliminating trained operatives, calling to mind similar scenes from “Atomic Blonde” and “Kill Bill,” though without those films’ distinctive style. Its third act partially redeems itself with two effective plot twists-one revealing the true nature of the Canary Black program, another unmasking a mysterious assassin known as “Kali.” These arrive too late to elevate the film above its formulaic foundation. A late-appearance cameo by Saffron Burrows transparently sets up possible sequels, although this premature franchise-building feels unearned. Director Pierre Morel, who made “Taken,” seems content with recycling action beats from his previous works rather than pushing for innovation. The gender-flipped setup of a skilled woman extracting her clueless husband should have allowed for new lenses on the genre. Instead, the film only succeeds in superficial bits, such as Graves facing off against foes who use gendered insults during a fight. Action scenes, though accomplished, unfortunately, don’t build enough energy to make them stand out from the pile of similar scenes in any other spy thriller. As Kennedy’s screenplay proceeds, with a general pattern of confrontation begetting confrontation, little in the way of emotional investment is developed, nor is the arguably intriguing dynamic of a marriage based on secrets mined for much. By the time “Canary Black” reaches its open-ended conclusion, it has squandered most of its potential as a franchise launcher. While Beckinsale proves capable in the lead role, the film surrounding her feels assembled from spare parts of better espionage thrillers. Adding Burrows’ character at the very end suggests sequel ambitions, but the movie hasn’t done enough to engender goodwill that would make one at all curious about another. Given strong performances and spasms of tension, “Canary Black” joins the middle-of-the-road procession of forgettable action thrillers dependent on formula rather than ingenuity. While it might satisfy viewers seeking simple escapism, it fails to capitalize on its premise or establish itself as anything more than a generic entry in an overcrowded genre.
OUR RATING – A BECKINSALE 5