Today’s quick review: Ava. After a botched job, Ava Faulkner (Jessica Chastain), a contract assassin with a lot of emotional baggage, returns home to Boston to patch things up with her family (Geena Davis, Jess Weixler, and Common). Ava’s mentor Duke (John Malkovich) tries to convince his superiors that her erratic behavior is nothing to worry about. But Ava’s life is jeopardized when Simon (Colin Farrell) decides to eliminate her on his own.
Ava is an action movie about an assassin wrestling with alcoholism, the morality of her job, and her dysfunctional relationship with her family. The movie balances between Ava trying to pick up the pieces of her old life and her dealing with the fallout of her latest failed assignment. Ava delivers some decent action and dabbles in some interesting themes. However, it misplays its characters and its story, leaving it a mediocre pick.
Ava has two main shortcomings. The first is the personal side of its story. The movie has the right ingredients for drama—family drama, Ava’s troubled past, and linger doubts about her career—but it fails to use them the right way. Ava makes for an indifferent protagonist, saddled with flaws but not given a clear way to overcome them. Her family are abrasive and judgmental, and the script never sets up a good opportunity for reconciliation.
The other shortcoming of the movie is its plot logic. The rough sketch of the plot works well, pitting Ava against the organization she once served blindly, but none of the details line up correctly. Supposedly savvy characters make inexcusable tactical decisions, conflicts arise with no clear motivation, and the exact nature of Ava’s employer is never made clear. The result is a plot with a poor sense of progression and a weak payoff.
Ava works well enough as an action movie. Its stunts are not outstanding, but they serve their purpose. The main characters’ flaws are not handled as deftly as they could have been, but they give the movie a personal side. And while the overall plot has some holes, it’s enough to hold the movie together. Action fans interested in a story about a troubled assassin will get something out of Ava. Exacting viewers should look elsewhere.
For a better-constructed action movie with a similar premise, try Haywire or Anna. For a more personal story about a female assassin, try La Femme Nikita or Red Sparrow. For a more iconic action movie about a killer trying to leave the life behind him, try John Wick or The Bourne Identity. For a better use of Jessica Chastain, check out Molly’s Game or Zero Dark Thirty.
[5.4 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8784956/). I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for serviceable action and a story that doesn’t quite work.