Today’s quick review: Survivor. When Kate Abbott (Milla Jovovich), a security officer for the U.S. Embassy in London, uncovers a plot to sneak terrorists into the United States, she becomes the target of the Watchmaker (Pierce Brosnan), an elusive and deadly assassin. Believed by the authorities to be responsible for one of the Watchmaker’s attacks, Kate goes on the run as she tries to piece together the terrorist plot and clear her name.
Survivor is an action thriller set in London. Unlike some thrillers, Survivor features an ordinary protagonist thrust into an extraordinary situation. Where the Watchmaker is a resourceful, deadly, and highly trained enemy, Kate has only her embassy training and her instincts to fall back on. The result is a desperate chase where Kate can only keep herself alive by the narrowest of margins.
Beyond this wrinkle, Survivor is a formulaic thriller with little original to offer. The particulars of Kate’s job, the plot she uncovers, and the Watchmaker’s character are of some interest, but no aspect of the film truly stands out. The characterization is thin, the planned terror attack is poorly motivated, and even Pierce Brosnan as the Watchmaker has little personality. The execution of the formula is decent, but the film lacks character.
Watch Survivor if you are in the mood for a stock thriller with decent execution but little originality. The film’s most interesting concepts are not played to their fullest, and its general competence is not enough to let it stand out from the crowd. Still, Survivor has an untrained protagonist, a reasonable plot, and a good amount of tension, making it a fine choice for a short popcorn watch.
5.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for passable execution of the thriller genre without much novelty.