THE KILLER (PEACOCK) (2024)

SYNOPSIS: From the Oscar® winning producer of Oppenheimer, the kinetic action thriller stars Emmy nominee Nathalie Emmanuel (The Fast Saga, Game of Thrones) as Zee, a mysterious and infamous assassin known, and feared, in the Parisian underworld as the Queen of the Dead. But when, during an assignment from her shadowy mentor and handler (Avatar’s Sam Worthington), Zee refuses to kill a blinded young woman (Diana Silvers; Ma, Booksmart) in a Paris nightclub, the decision will disintegrate Zee’s alliances, attract the attention of a savvy police investigator (Golden Globe nominee Omar Sy; Jurassic World franchise, Lupin), and plunge her into a sinister criminal conspiracy that will set her on a collision course with her own past. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Rather than letting others tamper with your legacy, why don’t you do it yourself if possible? And that’s what Hong Kong legend John Woo did with this remake of his 1989 The Killer starring Chow Yun-fat and Danny Lee.

Roping in Oscar winner Brian Helgeland and two other writers to rework on his original story, Woo retained the skeleton of it but notably gender-swapped the main lead with Nathalie Emmanuel (Furious 7, The Invitation).

Zee (Emmanuel) works as an assassin but only kills people who deserved death. Her handler is named Finn (Sam Worthington with a confusing mix of Aussie and Irish accent) whose high-profile client is a mobster played by football legend Eric Cantona. When a young singer, Jenn (Diana Silvers) loses her eyesight during one of Zee’s missions, the latter perhaps out of guilt decides to work with a honest cop, Sey (Omar Sy from Lupin) in protecting Jenn from Finn who wants her dead.

Throw in a case of missing money, drugs and corrupted cops and you have the American remake of the classic hit.

It seems that the 77 year old filmmaker has not lose his trademark touches as The Killer (2024) is filled once again with flying doves, motorcycle exploding in mid-air, stylised gravity defying gunplay and everything you expect from a John Woo action flick. Strangely though, he has cut down on all the slow-mo.

The chaotic gun-fu comparing to the original is watered down here yet there’s a decently choreographed shootout in a hospital and the climactic sequence which once again took place in a deconsecrated church features balletic violence and Woo’s favourite use of religious themes and imagery.

While the original features two males from the opposite of the laws getting together because of honour and friendship, the remake inevitably loses what the original is all about. Some might urge that it reflects the current trend of having a strong female character but Zee’s sympathy for Jenn’s plight isn’t that convincing if you put Chow and Sally Yen characters into perspective. On hindsight, at least there is no cringing LGBT romance involved.

We suppose Emmanuel indeed worked hard on her balletic stunts and Sy definitely has what it takes to be a charming leading man opposite his co-star. The on-location shoot in Paris also lends some need-be authenticity. If there’s one major nitpicking, that will be the almost television feel to the entire experience which at times look cheap and utterly flat.

Honestly, The Killer (2024) isn’t a great movie. It’s simply an updated old-school John Woo action flick that fares and entertained better than the average CGI-heavy, clumsily edited action movies which Hollywood constantly puts out. Last year, Silent Night was a disaster, here’s hoping Woo is on track to tackle much better written works.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee