Proud Mary

While Taraji P. Henson shines as the lead role, Proud Mary is simply a thinly written, chopily edited, and overly predictable action film.

What started off as a classic, nostalgic feel, is now every other action film cliche that we have seen countless times.

Again, Taraji is really the only actress who was able to save this film.

"Proud Mary" (R, 1:29) is an action thriller with a mainly African-American cast. Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson stars in the title role as a hit-woman with a hardened heart of gold.

When she carries out orders to take out a man who was heavily indebted to her small but powerful Boston crime family, she learns that he had a tween son who is now an orphan. She spends the next year secretly following Danny (Jahi Di'Allo Winston) around town as he lives on the streets and works for an abusive local drug dealer (Xander Berkeley). At an especially vulnerable moment for Danny, Mary steps in and struggles to break through his defenses to help him and become his protector. But she also inadvertently drags him into a brewing gang war between her family (headed by Danny Glover and Billy Brown) and a group of eastern European criminals (headed by Rade Serbedzija, perhaps best known as the villain in "Taken 2").

This genre movie is fairly formulaic, with little to distinguish it from similar films, but it's also fairly well-done and fans of the genre (and/or the very accomplished cast) will probably find it entertaining. "B-"

Love Ms Henson. The movie was slow and unfocused. Should have had mob family located in realistic place. Boston really??

The writers and director should have watched a few more movies with Pam Grier as female lead. Maybe even watch domino or the female assassin from John Wick 2.

Characters were weak and one dimensional. Hope sequel is better researched and more character development. Will be watching ?!$

Killer Mary (Taraji P. Henson) takes out a target but guilt forces her to leave his son Danny alive. It's one year later. Danny is working for abusive criminal Uncle. Mary has been watching him from afar. She tries to come to his rescue but the situation gets out of hand with Uncle. She massacres Uncle and his crew. She does not tell her boss Benny (Danny Glover) who wants to avoid a gang war with Uncle's criminal gang led by Luka, Uncle's nephew. Benny's son Tom is more aggressive.

Henson proves herself to be a solid action lead. The movie lacks good tension and top directions. There are good actors here. There are so many that some of them are no more than cannon fodder. This movie needs to kick it into a higher gear. It's constantly dragged down by a melodrama of guilt and parental instincts. I wonder if the kid had died, this wouldn't a better pure revenge story. She's a better killer than a mom anyways.

Not a fan, the story was all over the place and unbelievable. I love Henson as an actor, but this movie is better left for cable and not worth the price of a movie ticket.