The Killer as a remake of John Woo’s own 1989 film was a mistake since it just invites comparisons. In both films, it’s about a hitman who accidentally blinds a woman during a shootout. Feeling guilty, the killer protects her from other killers out to get them while also being hunted by a cop.

The original film is a pretty great, over-caffeinated action flick with a plot I mostly hand-waved away since the rest of the flick was exciting. I got the emotional core of helping the blind girl and the killer and cop becoming dudes in a high stakes game of bromance.

This film puts Nathalie Emmanuel in the Chow Yun-Fat role… which is an odd choice. I like Emmanuel in her various roles but just because she was in Fast and Furious movies doesn’t mean she was exactly fast or furious in them. So making her an action hero just begs me to over-analyzed her kung-fu and gun-fu skills. And she’s actually not bad in that she aims convincingly, fires without flinching, and does good take-downs.

But sadly that’s about all this film ultimately has going for it. The idea she’s feeling guilty over the blind woman is there, but I wasn’t totally convinced. And I also wasn’t convinced – outside of her capable action – that she was much of a cold-blooded killer.

And I also wasn’t convinced of the connection with the cop character either. The film didn’t go for a romance so we had to decide if these two could have a relationship of mutual respect. And I didn’t feel that enough either. It edges up to it but feels only half-formed.

In fact, the movie has the audacity of being two hours long which is waaay too long for the irrelevent plot. I’d be happy if it was just these three people on the run from killers but the flick seems to think we give a damn about a bunch of stolen drugs. And that takes up too much screen time with its boring, drawn out mediocrity.

Somehow Nathalie Emmanuel both convinced me and didn’t that she’s a credible action hero. She’s like Schrodinger’s Action Star. The rest of the film created a decent enough trio of actors and overloaded them with ok action surrounding a dull plot. Knock a half hour out of the flick and it could have been pretty solid.

Score: 74