To begin, I'd like to state that this is another attempt at a John Wick-style action film in the manner of a one-man-army.
Some may argue that it's drab, uninteresting, and repetitive.
I liked this film a lot. It's a decent film, and it has a lot of surprises embedded in this John Wick-inspired movie that make it stand out above so many other iterations in the genre.
The first thing that I noticed was the fight scene. The choreography was so good. The knife work in the kitchen fight scene was remarkable. I loved the violence, which was realistic and target-focused.
Also, the acting of Mary E. (Kate) and Ani Chan (Miku) was on point. Varrick (Woody) was great as always. Also, a subtle arc in the story about loss and making human connections held the story together and added a depth that pulled you in and got you invested.
The second thing that I noticed was the script. It was exceptional, not too lengthy, just right, and peppered with some familiar clichés and dialogues verbatim from a million plots of the same dna.
But here, those moments are used on purpose and have just the right effect. The rest of the interactions are clever, humorous, and unusual, especially with Ani Chan (Miku).
Lastly, the criminal-gang-wealthy ring of evil men hits all the familiar notes here of betrayal, second-in-command issues, etc.
But still, kudos to the writing and directing for borrowing from all the known and giving us something new. I'd be giving out spoilers to go into detail here, but Kate and Kijima score some quickies on guys we thought would have long monologuing death.
Again, great pacing, pleasant surprises, and the story stay on point ruthlessly.
