Kate

Some like cupcakes, some like wild girls, but it's a fact that this one is too wild – headshots are not spared, nor are pierced eyeballs and larynxes. Again, it's probably just my problem, but somehow I don't give a shit about those skinny girls who have ten armed men for dinner, especially when they're in the last stages of being a Litvinenko in the ICU. Anyway, another template strong female checked off, Netflix at half throttle again. But I send Mary Elizabeth Winstead a kiss on the forehead, she's a cutie. (2021.10.25)

I like action movies as much as horror movies, so I can forgive them a lot, Kate is a fine action female movie that definitely doesn't offend. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is poisoned and has a day to find her killer, and blood will flow through the streets of Tokyo. In terms of story, it's a straightforward revenge movie, which I personally don't mind, I just found the little kids who sidekick the main character a bit annoying, something that's been popping up in every other action movie lately. The heroine is badass and the role suited her (definitely more than Karen Gillan, for example) and the action is pretty good ( thankfully, they don’t spre blood and the fights are decent, though of course it can't be compared to Korea, John Wick or Indonesia, those are on another level). I also liked the neon Japan, the Yakuza and the solid pacing, which doesn’t leave room to be bored. I was little disappointed with the weaker finale, it definitely had more potential. Add more action and I'd be happier. Still, I had a good time, but bookworms who only care about the script will of course suffer. A tad better than the recent Sweet Girl. Story 3/5, Action 3/5, Humor 0/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 4/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 3/5. 6.5/10. (2021.09.13)

The miracle workers of 87North Productions have brought out another wonder of the mid-budget action genre. They repeat the tried-and-true formula of building the entire film on the foundation of casting and placing the lead actors at the core of the action sequences. But it simply works splendidly again. The trademark of 87Eleven choreographers and stuntmen is to incorporate pain and fatigue into the choreography of action sequences, but here they multiply the wear and tear of the material seen in Atomic Blonde. Whereas Charlize Theron was still a perfect killing machine in that film despite all of the bruises, Mary Elizabeth Winstead was brilliantly cast as the assassin with a short half-life in Kate. Her character thus fittingly makes far more mistakes in the fight scenes, catching one blow for every second one that she delivers, but she pursues her target with ever greater lethality. Every bruise, open wound, black eye and trace of blood on her exterior becomes a unit on the barometer of her “I'm going to die anyway” attitude. The individual action sequences put all of this to good use, thus bringing about an original effectiveness. At the same time, they take the best and most stylish aspects from the tradition of the Thai and Japanese schools of action movies and set design and combine them with the playful formalism of the western tradition. This female version of Crank is essentially completed with visual stylisation, where cinematographer Lyle Vincent and director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan create a form that, in its climactic moments, gives the impression of anime drawn with digital neon (with certain passages evoking Redline and Ghost in the Shell). All of this together makes Kate not only a magnificently captivating and infectiously exciting action flick with a damn cool action heroine, but also one of the highlights of the action genre in recent years. (2021.10.04)

The neon lights of Tokyo, Wick style action and the excellent Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who looks just like a young Ripley. The screenplay is nothing original, but quite entertaining. Netflix wants their own movie with an action girl, so they should have it. So what if countless similar movies have been released recently? Thanks to the Japanese culture and their opinion of the Gai-Jin in general, Kate is really watchable. Great music. Thumbs up from me. (2021.09.10)

Decent craftsmanship. It doesn't have the improvisation and disjointed rhythm of the best in the genre (The Raid, John Wick, Atomic Blonde), but there are a few solidly filmed set-pieces for the discerning action connoisseur. Thumbs up for having the most impressive action scene directed by a 70 year old grandpa with a samurai sword. The story is about nothing, but the neon lights and the unique atmosphere of Tokyo at night with the help of decent production design and cinematography does its job. Winstead is really good. (2021.09.21)

In my opinion, an honest and entertaining action film that develops as you expect, but which can also surprise. The action scenes play a key role, they are varied and it did not get old to see all the possible ways in which Kate eliminates villains like in a video game. But what would be the point if I didn't care about the main character, which Mary Elizabeth Winstead portrayed fabulously? Add to that the unobtrusive neon atmosphere of night Tokyo and great music. I was, and after those few days, still am more than satisfied. (2021.09.15)