What can go wrong when you pit an assassin against the Yakuza in a neon-infused blood-soaked revenge story? Especially when you have lots of guns, elaborate set pieces, and a character who is relentless and should be able to have a lot of depth behind her motives, right? Well, that’s certainly not the case for the titular character in Kate. As much as the film wants us to go on this wild revenge adventure, it fails to keep any interest by the halfway mark as it takes its foot off the pedal.
Kate (Winstead) is an assassin who we are to believe has no heart and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. The filmmakers make that objectively clear from the get-go as Kate has to execute a hit that would cause any child—or adult for that matter—to have to go to therapy over having to witness their parent being assassinated right in front of their eyes. Cut to six months later, and Kate is supposedly very upset about that situation and wants to opt out of that lifestyle. Of course, one can never walk away as her mentor, Varrick (Harrelson), gives her one more job before she can start a new life.
On the night of her last gig, Kate has a rude awakening when she realizes she has ingested poison, making her a not-so-keen assassin for which she was once known. She starts her journey to vow revenge against those who got to her first before her time runs out. In the process, she runs into the very child (Martineau) she scarred six months prior, who also plays a critical role in the overall situation in ways neither character would have thought possible.
It’s a fun enough premise on paper, and I’m a sucker for settings that have a lot of neon and action. There’s something about the two that makes it aesthetically pleasing. Kate certainly makes use of its setting in Japan in the first half and offers a lot of fun set pieces with neon and gunfire, but it doesn’t do much else aside from that. For a majority of the film, it never feels like it moves settings. The neon-soaked locations, with the flashy cyan and pink, eventually overstay their welcome. They make the change of scenes a blur, and more often than not, I questioned where exactly these fight sequences were taking place. The sense of location becomes almost non-existent by the time the film is at its climax. And it causes pacing issues that become more relevant in the latter half.
At first, when we see Winstead in action, it’s thrilling as can be. Cedric Nicolas-Troyan makes it very clear that Kate knows how to fight and occasionally throws in moments of blood on the camera lens (another fun aesthetic of the action genre) to add to the intensity. But as the film continues to play out, the action never exceeds itself, and ultimately it feels like it is hindered by the very influences it tries so hard to avoid being compared with. When the film leans into what it knows best, it can be entertaining and exciting; however, the second it strays to attempt to become its own thing, it fails noticeably and exemplifies its weakest points more than its noteworthiest moments.
The third act is supposed to be the climax and most exciting part of the film, and it is far from the most excitable. Aside from its mundane fight choreography that has no variations of stunt work, the camerawork itself restricts the audience from feeling any impact and emotion. There’s no intensity to how it’s showcasing the final moments. It uses the same formulaic approach that contributed to the film losing its momentum in the first half. Everything ends up blurring together to the point where you realize one of its main flaws is it tries to add substance where it needs style; and holding onto its style when it definitely could benefit substance.
Not everything about the film is unenjoyable. Winstead and Harrelson have fun on-screen chemistry when they share scenes. And I rather enjoyed watching Kate’s body deteriorate from the poisoning as the film goes on—the makeup work by the end is a huge highlight. There is something kick-ass about witnessing an assassin still making a name for herself despite time not being on her side.
Overall, Kate is action-packed and has great set pieces that should benefit its execution, but ultimately it misses its target by a longshot. Had the film embraced more of its absurdity and gone bonkers with the action and its character work, I think it would be more memorable and talked about in the same regard as its peers.
