The Protégé (2021)

Directed by: Martin Campbell | 109 minutes | action, thriller | Actors: Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, David Rintoul, Patrick Malahide, Ray Fearon, Ori Pfeffer, Robert Patrick, Florin Piersic Jr., Tudor Chirila, Velizar Binev, George Pistereanu, Eva Nguyen Thorsen, Alexandru Bordea, Tanja keller

Anna (Maggie Q) is a highly efficient hit man who still works with her surrogate father Moody (Samuel L. Jackson), who taught her the intricacies of killing for money. But Moody is getting old and his health is playing tricks on him. Now that the two can live comfortably on the money earned all these years, it might be wise to take it easy. After all, Anna’s antique bookshop with very expensive first editions – her real passion – also needs attention. ‘The Protégé’ by director Martin Campbell shows in a flashback how Moody took Anna under his wing in Da Nang (Vietnam) in the early 1990s as a young girl: he first meets her in a room full of gunned down scum; it will take a while before we see whether and how the frightened teenage girl has indeed killed these men.

At an intimate birthday party—where we learn more about the bond between Moody and Anna—he asks her to track down one Lucas Hayes, who’s been missing for decades. In her bookshop, meanwhile, she meets Michael Rembrandt (Michael Keaton), who pretends to be interested in a purchase, but cannot resist openly flirting with her. Anna flirts back just as hard. Not long after, the bodies pile up in Anna’s environment and she has no choice but to travel to the country she swore never to visit again: Vietnam, because the trail of the missing Hayes leads there.

‘The Protégé’ looks slick: the film breathes scents and colors and the locations are well chosen. The action scenes are equally polished, and Maggie Q not only shows herself to be a true action heroine, she is also convincing in the fragments where more is expected of her. Her relationship with her mentor is genuinely good and she has a crackling chemistry with Michael Keaton, although you can sense that it can never work out between the two. Michael Keaton also shows his reliable side; he plays a fairly large role and takes the film to a higher level with ease. He also has the best one-liners.

In terms of the story, ‘The Protégé’ does drop a few stitches. The case at hand is barely interesting enough to hold the attention, it’s muddled and the viewer doesn’t really get involved, it doesn’t feel urgent enough to take bullets. Screenwriter Richard Wenk (‘The Equalizer’ among others) is familiar with pulpy stories like this, and it’s thanks to the on-trend cast and good direction that ‘The Protégé’ feels like a better movie than it actually is. Entertaining, but you forgot about it in no time. Still, part 2 wouldn’t even be unwelcome.