IR Film Review: KATE [Netflix]
Mary Elizabeth Winstead has always moved to the beat of her own drum, not adhering to what anyone should think about who she is or the choices she makes. She likes bad asses, understated but also strategic. Whereas The Huntress in "Birds Of Prey" was under-utilized and used mostlly for irony again Margot Robbie's more flamboyant Harley, in "Kate", Winstead is all business with a tad of empathy and alot of pain and yet matter-of-factness. Seeing David Leitch's name as producer on this is no mistake but the movie is all Winstead. It is all about seeing her character in the trenches and no matter the cost, she will get the job done. That is why the endgame is set early and makes sense. Like little ticks (the Dom Dom Lemon habit is a nice one) burgeon the eventuality that little things make the difference. The film also feels undeniably shot in Asia giving the film more of an ingrained authenticity especially considering its subject matter.
Whereas some studio spaces were done in Thailand, this is a Tokyo bathed film. And save for a few key roles, these are Asian actors in an Asian world. The Gaijin reference is used again and again and makes utter sense. The path is clear for Kate, not unlike Ripley in "Alien", which even Winstead's look comes to resemble. Kate screams in pain. She many times cannot be stealthly. She is her own monster, her own redeemer, her own worst nightmare and her best confidante. The fight scenes, especially in a kabuki club are brutal and unflinching but also relevant and structured. Winstead also holds her own with Harrelson, who has fun but doesn't really get dirty (save that for "Venom: Let There Be Carnage").
The plot ploy too get Kate moving is undeniable but also mythic in a way as is the reference and use of her ward of sorts. The pairing makes sense and it also takes into account that this is a life Kate knows, even if she did not choose it. One sequence where the story intercuts between two revelations maybe be a little expository but it keeps the film grounded and is needed so the action means something (which is the hidden formula). Another fight sequence in a kitchen throws away, in certain ways, all gender stereotypes, especially within organized crime in a really stark way. Like John Woo films of old, the ending gunfight is a ballet of sorts, maybe not as a lyrical but just as focused and intensive, down to the very last shot which reflects the tragedy in a very old school but yet modern context with metaphor to boot. "Kate" shows Mary Elizabeth Winstead in her ability, focus and method of delivery, creating an undeliable vision of carnage, revenge, hurt and inevitability. A
By Tim Wassberg
