Kate is better than it should be. From the director of The Huntsman: Winters War (right??) comes an American made film set in Japan but focusing on white heroes. Female assassin movies have become a genre that usually lacks substance and here everything about this screams low rent Kill Bill. But the film pulls off a minor miracle being completely engaging and delivering an emotional punch while also having some of the best fight sequences I've seen in a while.
First good decision? Casting the remarkable Mary Elizabeth Winstead who proves to me again that I always enjoy her. She delivers a believable Kate that rises above the cliche that her character could have been. She made me believe that person could be and could pull off what she does, even in the hyper realized Tokyo that she inhabits.
Second, the film purposefully inverts gender expectations. Kate is not Ripley or Sarah Connor. She's not a female version of masculinity. She is also not the supermodel with a gun caricature of the Atomic Blonde or Wanted variety. She brings her fem vibe to her badassery in a way that is refreshing and maybe more rare.
Third, the film upends queer coding by presenting a villain whose presentation of queerness isn't used to make us question his morality or make us dislike him but to emphasizes his power. he is one of the most threatening characters to Kate and one of the most memorable parts of the film.
Fourth the film gives real time to the Japanese-ness of the story. Kate feels like an outsider in her own story. Instead of centring her experience, the film tells a yakuza story that she just happens to be in, so the Japanese characters aren't background, they are real players in the arc.
The film leans into its pulpy genre roots so you have to embrace that to truly enjoy this story. But for fans of the genre, or those who will take the leap, Kate is a satisfying and rewatchable experience.
Kate
Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Woody Harrelson, Miku Martineau, Tabanobu Asano, Jun Kunimura, Miyavi, Michael Huisman
Director: Cedric Nicholas-Troyan
Writer: Umair Aleem
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