Thrillers involving spies and assassins have been popular for decades. Few these days could be asked who James Bond is and not know the answer to the question. But something new has been added to the genre in recent years that’s been a long time coming and for the better. Women are now replacing men in lead roles in action films and they’re holding their own. Last you’re PEPPERMINT was proof of that. Now we have AVA.
Jessica Chastain plays Ava, a killer for hire working for a non-descript group called the Organization. The film opens with her killing a member of the International Monetary Fund in France. Before killing him she makes the mistake of asking him what he’s done wrong to deserve his death. He has no idea and she kills him anyway.
Reporting in to her handler Duke (John Malkovich) she tells him she needs some time off to deal with family issues in Boston. Returning home she stops in to see her sister Judy (Jess Weixler) a local musician/singer. After her performance the pair are walking back to Judy’s apartment and we learn more. Their father died months earlier, Judy has had to deal with taking care of the family, she’s now involved with Ava’s ex Michael (Common) and their mother Bobbi (Geena Davis) is in the hospital.
Visiting her mother the next morning Ava is given the wandering child treatment. She left 8 years prior and has never returned, just placing phone calls every 6 months. There is a combative feeling between not just mother and daughter but between the two siblings as well, one having run from confrontation and the other having been forced to deal with the issues left behind.
Ava is next seen at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Boston. We learn more about her, items hinted at in her discussions with Duke and in the opening credits. A former alcoholic and drug user Ava found her father in the arms of another woman. Forcing him to admit it to her mother he instead told Bobbi that Ava was stealing money from him and blackmailed him with the threat of a made up story. This is the issue that drove Ava from home, into the military and from there recruited into the life of a paid assassin. Sober for 8 years with one relapse she hides the fact of her profession from everyone.
After her trips to Boston Ava is given a new target, a
general located in Riyadh. Seducing him she is to make it look like he died of
natural causes. A slip up in intel sends his men in to take her down and
prevent his death but they are too late. A battle follows and Ava barely escapes
with her life. When she contacts Duke about it he takes the fall for the faulty
intel.
But it turns out there was no mistake. The top man at the Organization, Simon (Colin Ferrell) was attempting to put an end to Ava and knew Duke would object. Now she has a target on her back and only Duke coming to her defense.
At the same time she’s trying to attend to lose ends at home. She helps Michael with gambling debts. She tries to make amends with her mother. She sets out to protect her family. And she waits for that final confrontation.
AVA is a solid movie in that it takes a well-worn genre and gives it more depth than most. The character of Ava has issues deeper than a desire to kill or a worn out moral compass. She is troubled with her past and dealing with addiction on a daily basis. These would be flaws in most characters but in Ava we see her trying her best to deal with all of these issues, burying them at first and then rising to meet the challenges they provide.
Chastain has always been a superior actress. It’s nice to see her in a role that allows her dramatic prowess to be on display while at the same time giving her a more physical role than she’s had in some time. She’s proven she can handle both sides of that coin in the past and does so once again admirably. Malkovich is wonderful here as well with a bit of physicality he hasn’t had to use in some time though a good guess would be he has great stuntmen in his corner. And Ferrell shows once again that he is an underused talent in search of the right project. Let’s hope he finds one soon.
In the end AVA is a thriller that delivers on all marks. Well-made with a great script, top directing, great performances and enough action to hold your interest till the credits roll. If you’re looking for something to enjoy this week give AVA a try.
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