Don’t Cross Kate
By Paul Hall
Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is an assassin. Her indoctrination came at a young age, courtesy of a mysterious teacher (Woody Harrelson), and she is one of the best there is. When the job needs to be done, Kate is there to handle it.
While she is amazingly talented at what she does, an attack gets under her skin. The one thing she does not ever want to encounter is children during a job. When a young girl happens to be present and her handlers insist she complete the job, it is a memory that will haunt her for the rest of her life.
Someone has decided that she will have to pay for her sins and poisons her. As she tries to live out her last hours, it becomes a race to finish her final job and get closure despite the mountain of obstacles in her way.
Kate is like a female version of John Wick, and she just may be more intense than Wick, if that’s possible. Winstead displays every piece of physicality necessary to be the one-woman wrecking crew that her character embodies. She is able to physically glide through the fight sequences and manage the toughest opponents that come her way. If she could not hold her own, the film would collapse on top of itself.
While some sequences, like a car chase through the Tokyo streets, are less than satisfactory, the stylishly choreographed fights make up for the other issues. Expect the “kills” to be as violent as anything you have seen, so buckle up for the ride.
Winstead will be a cult hero for this role, and the surprising young Miku Martineau, who plays Ani just may be the breakout star we are talking about down the road as she takes the initial steps into the film industry.
I really like Kate for all the bloody good times that exist. It’s not for the squeamish among us, but it is a good, old-fashioned adult action film with no apologies and a pile of carnage.
Paul’s Grade: B-
Kate
Rated R
Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Woody Harrelson, Miku Martineau
Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Content released to Syndicated Partners – 9.10.21