The Protégé attempts to make a played out genre its own by adding awkward banter and misfired quips. The action, while fair, is the clear focus of this production because the plot is clunky and uninteresting. This is exacerbated by Maggie Q's bland acting. She tries to achieve the assured demeanor that the script is hoping for but she comes across wooden and forced. This isn't solely her fault since the dialogue wishes it was much cooler than it actually is. But Maggie does not elevate the role in any meaningful way.
From a technical perspective, The Protégé is decent enough. The action is the film's redeeming quality because the shot choices, choreography, and special effects are all adequate. Once, the music even enhances a fight scene to highlight juxtaposing emotions at hand. Yet, this is outweighed by the contrived and cringe writing. In almost every way, the script fails the audience because the story is unoriginal, the conversations lack wit, and the characters are flat. Often, The Protégé outright tells us how to feel instead of giving us real reasons to care, leaving viewers to groan at a marginally subpar piece of work.
Writing: 2/10
Direction: 4/10
Cinematography: 5/10
Acting: 4/10
Editing: 5/10
Sound: 6/10
Score/Soundtrack: 6/10
Production Design: 4/10
Casting: 5/10
Effects: 6/10
Overall Score: 4.7/10.
