Canary Black

Such unbelievable action sequences. How can a lady who's 5'4" and weighs about 8 stone knock seven shades out of , not one but several 6' blokes , plus she can barely run in her platform shoes.

It's really poorly acted, & it sounds like Kate has been dubbed or her voice has been digitally edited.

The story is so weak and you get the feeling that you've watched this film several times before. All the minor characters are a cliche from other films.

If I had to watch this movie in a theatre and then pay for admission, after watching, paying what you believe was a fair price, I'd be taking more money out than what I put in.

We've seen this before. A very talented spy or thief or retired hitman is compelled to do something really really bad... perhaps even apocalyptic... to save a loved one from harm. Meanwhile said action star can't tell anybody and can't trust anybody... and everybody simply thinks the action star has gone "rogue".

If you've seen enough of these films, your antenna goes up almost immediately when you see the tortured loved one utter a dire plea "Honey.., just do what they say!" And therein lies the rub. For as talented and clever a spy as Kate Beckinsale, why couldn't she put 2 and 2 together like the rest of us.

Beckinsake, at age 51, is not quite as spry as her Underworld days or even her Total Recall stint - and even a platinum blonde wig doesn't do justice for her stunt double.

That said, highly evocative of The Blacklist and Alias in plot points and premises, the action is watchably entertaining in a streaming movie kind of way yet distinctly short of theatrical release quality.

The movie, as entertaining as it was for a Friday night on the couch, perhaps takes itself too seriously in pitching itself for a sequel. In the end, it felt like a pilot looking for a network pick up.

"Canary Black," directed by Pierre Morel (also known for "Peppermint"), delivers a solid dose of action, though it doesn't quite hit the mark like some of his previous work. Kate Beckinsale leads the charge with Rupert Friend and the late Ray Stevenson in support, but despite a strong cast, the film struggles with some corny dialogue and pacing issues. It takes a while for the story to pick up steam, and when it does, you're met with a number of plot holes that are hard to ignore. However, if you're willing to look past the flaws, it's still a fun, adrenaline-fueled ride. It's not groundbreaking, but for those craving an action flick, it gets the job done.

This was a lot more fun than I expected. One might think one saw this same plot many times before. A highly trained woman CIA agent, whose husband has no idea what she does. Put into a blackmail situation where she is tasked to steal a highly secret and potentially explosive file if exposed. And she is given a short time to do that, and the person who is supposed to have the file on him doesn't. Of course the blackmailers won't take no for an answer. And the CIA considers that she has gone rogue. But the movie is fun to watch, and there are enough twists and turns to make things enjoyable, and builds to a nicely scripted climax.

My wife and I watch movies to be entertained. When this one finished I asked, "Were you entertained?" She replied, "Yes, I stayed awake the whole time." Which doesn't always happen on her comfortable couch.

There are a couple of quick reviews which don't say much and rate this movie "1". Which is absurd, no way this is a "1". The midpoint of a 1 to 10 rating system is 5.5, so this one is likely best rated as a 5, 6, or 7. No, it isn't a unique and great movie but it does have decent entertainment value.

Movies are a business, nothing else, and the Producer is Kate Beckinsale who also stars as Avery Graves. She is a high level secret operative, the kind that can put on a disguise, a fake identity, carry the weapons, and take out a whole crew when the assignment calls for it. As she mentions at one point, she has a high pain tolerance.

The overall story involves foreign operatives who have a scheme (using Canary Black) for getting about one trillion dollars by a ransom play that seeks to hit every nation on Earth, otherwise a doomsday virus will be selectively released that would basically doom the countries that don't comply. Avery has to save the day almost single handedly.

For the complexity of the story this is a relatively low budget movie shot in Croatia. For my tastes there is a bit too much gun battle and a somewhat questionable chase scene with some really bad crashes but it does serve to move the story forward. In the end Avery gets into lots of trouble because of the techniques she was required to use but the ending has a sort of "La Femme Nikita" feel to it. A chance to put it all behind her.

Will there be a sequel? Time will tell.

Streaming on Prime, good video and very impressive sound if you have a decent home theater setup.