Film Review: ‘The Protege’ Understood the Assignment and Studied Up On Action Films Past

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Average: 5 (1 vote)

CHICAGO – I’ve always felt that the line between being a spy or an assassin has always been blade-thin. Both kill people based on the orders of someone else. They are always highly trained in fighting and gun-fu. There is a great chance that they will be absolutely charming and unusually attractive because the job demands it.

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

Hell, they might even be prone to age-inappropriate relationships that stem from mommy or daddy issues. The true deciding factor on your future path will depend on who picks you to be your mentor, and here is where we find the origin of The Protégé.

There are few genres as forgiving as the action genre. Here you’ll find that the plot is the least important element as long as the leads are charismatic enough, and the fight choreography is on point. There is so much more than that to love in The Protégé that you’re more than willing to not look too closely at the stitching binding all of these rehashed elements together and just enjoy the product as a whole. Writer Richard Wenk weaves familiar vengeance-driven storylines into this film, bringing back popular elements from his previous films like The Equalizer and The Expendables. There’s a gruff, brutal demeanor that guides this tale, but there is also a playful part that helps develop an emotional core amongst the carnage. Genre-blending can be an especially difficult thing to achieve, especially when procedural action films don’t lean into the absurdism they oftentimes deliver. That is a non-issue here, especially when the back and forth exchanges are so full of humor, fun flirting, and punchlines that usually end with actual punches.

“The Protégé” in theaters on August 20th. Featuring Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Robert Patrick, Ray Fearon, Ori Pfeffer, and Patrick Malahide. Directed by Martin Campbell. Written by Richard Wenk. Rated “R”

StarClick here for Jon Espino’s full review of “The Protégé”

protege1
Photo credit: Lionsgate

StarClick here for Jon Espino’s full review of “The Protégé”

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