From Mission: Impossible III to the Nikita tv series, Maggie Q has long been one of the baddest women on the big screen, which makes some of the stuff she’s done (like Fantasy Island, ugh) seem beneath her. The Protégé is more like it, though, as it has her kicking ass alongside co-stars Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson, while veteran James Bond filmmaker Martin Campbell shoots the action. Yes, please.
This looks like the hitman films I loved so much from Luc Besson, and the storyline is there to match. Maggie Q plays a child saved by a legendary assassin, who trains her in the art of killing. When he gets killed, it’s up to her to seek revenge, putting her in the crosshairs of Keaton’s character.
The film is directed by Martin Campbell, who is best known for Goldeneye, Casino Royale, and…Green Lantern. On the screenplay is Richard Wenk, best known for writing The Equalizer films, so a lot of action/spy experience on this one, and to me, it really shows.
The Protégé opens August 20th.
Rescued as a child by the legendary assassin Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) and trained in the family business, Anna (Maggie Q) is the world’s most skilled contract killer. But when Moody – the man who was like a father to her and taught her everything she needs to know about trust and survival – is brutally killed, Anna vows revenge. As she becomes entangled with an enigmatic killer (Michael Keaton) whose attraction to her goes way beyond cat and mouse, their confrontation turns deadly and the loose ends of a life spent killing will weave themselves even tighter.
