We'll have to see if Nicolas-Troyan can take this well-worn formula and make it his own, despite a frankly boring title. Based on this trailer, he has put that background to excellent use in Kate. Director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan received an Oscar nomination for his visual effects for 2012's Snow White and the Huntsman and made his directorial debut in 2016 with The Huntsman: Winter's War. I don't know why filmmakers seem to think female assassins have to bond with young girls to show their softer emotional side, but so be it.

As her body swiftly deteriorates, Kate forms an unlikely bond with the teenage daughter of one of her past victims. But when she uncharacteristically blows an assignment targeting a member of the yakuza in Tokyo, she quickly discovers she’s been poisoned, a brutally slow execution that gives her less than 24 hours to exact revenge on her killers. Meticulous and preternaturally skilled, Kate is the perfect specimen of a finely tuned assassin at the height of her game. Kate seems like a combination of D.O.A., Crank, and Gunpowder Milkshake. And the film has influenced countless more, such as the 2006 film Crank, in which Jason Statham plays a British hitman who has to keep his adrenaline levels spiking to counteract being given a deadly poison. (starring Dennis Quaid), and the 2017 film Dead on Arrival. (Due to someone not renewing the copyright on time, the film is in the public domain.) It has inspired three direct remakes: 1969's Color Me Dead, 1988's D.O.A. The basic premise of Kate is a familiar one it's essentially a twist on the classic 1950 film noir D.O.A., in which a man-a seemingly ordinary accountant and notary public-walks into a police station and says he has been poisoned, with only a few days left to live and discover who murdered him. Gunpowder Milkshake ended up feeling flat, predictable, and like an exercise in style over substance. But as with The Old Guard, nothing really gelled, and as much as I love Karen Gillan, she seemed ill-suited to the role. Just last month, Netflix served up the disappointing Gunpowder Milkshake, which had a stellar all-star cast and all the right elements, including some impressive fight choreography.

Theron was terrific, but the film itself was uneven. First, there was 2020's The Old Guard, in which Charlize Theron leads an immortal group of mercenaries on a mission of revenge. The streaming service seems to be casting about for a female version of the hugely successful John Wick franchise, but it's harder to pull off than it looks. Producers: Bryan Unkeless (I, Tonya, Bright, Birds of Prey), Kelly McCormick (Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw), Patrick Newall (Dhaka, The Old Man And The Gun)Įxecutive Producer: David Leitch, Scott MorganĪfter she’s irreversibly poisoned, a ruthless criminal operative has less than 24 hours to exact revenge on her enemies and in the process forms an unexpected bond with the daughter of one of her past victims.A ruthless criminal operative is poisoned and has less than 24 hours to exact revenge on her killers in Kate, a new action thriller from Netflix starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who played Huntress in Birds of Prey. #Netflix thriller, #KATE #KATEMovie starring #MaryElizabethWinstead and #WoodyHarrelson has round out its case and production is currently underway.Ĭast: Michiel Huisman (The Haunting of Hill House), Tadanobu Asano (Thor: Ragnarok, Mortal Kombat,upcoming Midway) , Jun Kunimura (Rain), Miyavi Lee Ishihara (Unbroken, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) and newcomer Miku Martineau join Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Woody Harrelson.ĭirector: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan (The Huntsman: Winter’s War)

Kate netflix poster