An average movie

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this movie but, since it was directed by John Woo and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. I actually saw the original version but it was ages ago and, to be honest, it was probably one of the most disappointing watching experiences I ever had. However, I was very young when I first saw it and I was always eager to give this movie a 2nd chance since it is such a classic but, after watching this remake, I actually have some doubts now. It’s so weird because the concept of this assassin getting closer to a cop chasing her should be really my thing and, yet, I’m afraid the end-result was just so boring after all. It was in fact exactly what I experienced when I saw the original version all these years ago so I wonder if I would appreciate it more if I would rewatch it. Anyway, in this case, I won’t be blaming Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy who were both quite charismatic and I think they were some solid choices but, unfortunately, just like the rest of this movie, their respective characters were barely developed after all and, above all, they were just so tedious. At least, it was neat that the action was taking place in Paris and I did appreciate the fact that Woo made sure that the French characters kept switching between French and English depending on who they were talking to which was a nice detail (there was only once scene when they messed that up). It was also fun to see Éric Cantona, a French football (soccer) legend, in this movie and he was surprisingly convincing playing some gangster. Another thing that bothered me with this movie was that the running time was just too long and I wish they used this rather extensive running time to develop more these characters. Concerning the action scenes, I guess we were entitled to expect a lot since John Woo had always been a master in this genre but, even in this area, I thought the movie was rather underwhelming after all. Anyway, to conclude, depending on where you stand, you might consider this movie either a misguided idea or a missed opportunity but it certainly didn’t work, that’s for sure. 

5/10