‘Kate’ is ultimately forgettable, but is entertaining while it laststhis

Posted on September 17, 2021

By MARK VIOLA

Shoot-‘em-up action movies about assassins seeking revenge need to do two things to really stand out in what has become an incredibly crowded sub-genre.

First, they need to have good action that is well-filmed so the audience can actually understand what is happening. Second, they need to give us enough character and story development so we care about what we are watching unfold on screen.

Now, this might sound a bit hypocritical coming from somebody who is usually the most critical about story when it comes to movies, but in this particular case, the action can be more important than story. A well-written action film with horribly-filmed action may have some staying power, but it’s not entertaining to watch. Flip those, and you can have an enjoyable experience that is just not terribly memorable in the long term.

The second example is exactly what we have with “Kate,” the new Neftlix action movie about an assassin seeking revenge starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (“Birds of Prey”).

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