Kate

On the Netflix screen for “Kate,” the description says “this movie is Violent, Exciting.” That first adjective is quite accurate—this film is wall-to-wall carnage. I must respectfully disagree with that second adjective, however, unless you enjoy watching someone else play an uninvolving video game for almost two hours. If this type of thing turns you on, please have at it. There’s a cynical air to the lackluster proceedings, as if the filmmakers assume you’ll stumble across “Kate” and watch it simply because it’s there and you’re too lazy to scroll down the screen for something better. That appears to be Netflix’s rationale for their mid-budget actioners, and it can provide much satisfaction if there’s a good story welded to the set-pieces. But Umair Aleem’s script is so paint-by-numbers familiar that it leaves you wishing you’d watched one of the better movies it’s ripping off. I believe Netflix also carries several of those.

After her superb and memorable turn in “Birds of Prey,” Mary Elizabeth Winstead is handed the reins of her own action movie. Winstead is not only a very credible agent of violence, she also provides interesting approaches to her scenes. There’s something off-kilter and unique about her, something you can’t quite put your finger on, yet you feel its presence. I find her compulsively watchable, which is why I found this dreck so aggravating. She’s clearly having fun here, but she deserves better than the warmed-over plot details every single female assassin movie must contain. The assassin is always a lone wolf, deserted by family before being adopted by a male authority figure who trains and mentors her before ultimately becoming some form of adversary she must deal with against her will.

Here, the male mentor is phoned in by Woody Harrelson. And I don’t mean that just figuratively—80% of his performance is literally on the phone. If you look closely into his eyes, you can see the ATM where he deposited the check from this movie. Harrison’s Varrick is the handler for Winstead’s titular character, the one person Kate trusts. When the film opens, she’s in Osaka, Japan on an assignment that predictably goes awry. Despite the rules against shooting people with children present, Kate takes a shot that takes out her target in front of his kid. Fast-forward to Kate’s “last mission,” where she’ll eventually team up with a rambunctious teenager named Ani (Miku Patricia Martineau). Guess what her connection is to that prior execution?

Before we get to Ani, Kate engages in rumpy-pumpy with a guy who fatally poisons her with something that will kill her in 24 hours. She’ll not only need to find out why she’s been murdered, but she’ll also need to avenge her own death. The only thing that keeps her going is hourly shots of adrenaline. So, we’ve got an injection of “D.O.A.” here (the hideous '80s remake, that is, not the original). In addition to the gruesome external wounds and scars Kate will endure battling countless adversaries, the poison is quickly rotting her from the inside out. Numerous scenes of barfing ensue, as well as some teeth falling out and blood pouring out of unwelcome places unprovoked. This adds a healthy dash of “The Fly” to the proceedings (the awesome '80s remake, that is, not the original).