The Protégé is extremely weak in the writing department that it has to make do with its three charismatic lead performers and a few not-bad set pieces. Director Martin Campbell's films have always been a mixed bag - he made Casino Royale (which in my books, is one of the best Bond flicks, period!), the thrill-by-the-minute Vertical Limit (which was a neat throwaway action flick), and also stinkers such as Green Lantern and Beyond Borders. I'd position The Protégé among his weaker films though not an absolute write-off. It even starts off well before diving into the familiar action territories of Lyon: The Professional and John Wick.
Michael Keaton's character is supposed to be the film's trump card. However, the writing (by Richard Wenk) is so drab that it only adds to the overall tedium of the screenplay. Samuel L Jackson's script choices have lately not been the greatest (Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, Spiral, and now this) and it looks like he's in it to have guns blazing fun at 72. While I was excited to see Maggie Q finally get her due in Hollywood playing the lead in a studio-backed actioner, I realized later it should have been in a better film altogether. She's convincing as an arse-kicker and also looks insanely hot while at it - David Leitch, Chad Stahelski, and others - take note.
I found the pairing of Michael Keaton and Maggie Q to be rather odd. This isn't the '80s or '90s. We don't need to witness weird sexual chemistry between a 69-year-old and a 42-year-old during an indoor set piece. The transition of tone is also very abrupt. One moment, a side character is cracking a joke and the next minute, he's murdered in the most gruesome way. And this doesn't happen just once. It's the way the film is structured as a whole - just throwing a whole bunch of moments at you. As scenes, they just don't mesh well. Even 77-year-old Campbell can do better - he already has proven himself. Let's give Maggie the action movie she deserves before it's too late!
Michael Keaton's character is supposed to be the film's trump card. However, the writing (by Richard Wenk) is so drab that it only adds to the overall tedium of the screenplay. Samuel L Jackson's script choices have lately not been the greatest (Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, Spiral, and now this) and it looks like he's in it to have guns blazing fun at 72. While I was excited to see Maggie Q finally get her due in Hollywood playing the lead in a studio-backed actioner, I realized later it should have been in a better film altogether. She's convincing as an arse-kicker and also looks insanely hot while at it - David Leitch, Chad Stahelski, and others - take note.
I found the pairing of Michael Keaton and Maggie Q to be rather odd. This isn't the '80s or '90s. We don't need to witness weird sexual chemistry between a 69-year-old and a 42-year-old during an indoor set piece. The transition of tone is also very abrupt. One moment, a side character is cracking a joke and the next minute, he's murdered in the most gruesome way. And this doesn't happen just once. It's the way the film is structured as a whole - just throwing a whole bunch of moments at you. As scenes, they just don't mesh well. Even 77-year-old Campbell can do better - he already has proven himself. Let's give Maggie the action movie she deserves before it's too late!