Maggie Q is the world’s deadliest female assassin in the action/thriller THE PROTEGE. The movie starts out in Vietnam where Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) finds young Anna cowering in a closet with a gun in her hands and a house filled with dead Vietnamese soldiers. Moody takes her in and trains her to work in the family business.
Anna has two sides to her persona. One is a deadly killer who is deadly with guns, knives, hand to hand combat, and any household appliance she can get her hands on. She’s also a sophisticated London bookstore owner who specializes in rare books and is also passionate about the books she sells.
(Spoiler alert) When her mentor and father figure is brutally killed she becomes a one woman killing machine tracking down and killing anyone who was involved in his murder.
Michael Keaton, who quickly develops sexual feelings for Anna, is the world class gangster who she discovers was the one who gave the order to kill her surrogate father. The sexual chemistry between the two creates a separate side plot that is both steamy and smart.
There’s plenty of action in THE PROTEGE and the movie takes us to several countries in this cat and mouse game between lovers and assasination targets. Who’s going to win the battle? That’s the question that skillfully keeps us guessing until the very end.
THE PROTEGE is rated R for some bloody violence and sexual situations and runs for 1 hour and 49 minutes. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate the movie a LARGE.
