It is John Woo who brings back his iconic film The Killer 2024 to cater for the present-day viewers with rather different outcomes. The plot moves from Hong Kong to Paris with Nathalie Emmanuel replacing Chow Yun-fat as a legendary character in this genre. This is not supposed to be controversial except for all the misogynist haters who lose their minds every time women take over what previously belonged to men. Emmanuel’s performance is good and that isn’t the main problem of this film. It is action where one can find no creativity.
A deserted church serves as Zee’s meeting point with her handler. Woo does his thing with pigeons, flying all around dusty stained-glass windows while Finn (Sam Worthington) briefs his lethal assassin about her next target. Nobody in that room should survive, as stressed by Finn. It just has to happen.”
Zee then asks if they really deserve dying. For all concerns raised by Zee, there is only one answer from Finn which quiets her down right away without any further questions being asked of him. There are no innocent marks.
In the evening disguised Zee breaks into an exclusive VIP area of night club. She has been thoroughly searched but no weapon was found on her body whatsoever. Lowlife thugs stare at her hungrily during a performance by another equally beautiful female (Diana Silvers). However, these baddies change their tone when Zee pulls out a sword from under her dress and starts slicing everyone she comes across in the most fascinating dance macabre you have ever seen.
The frightened singer screams into backward dive against the stage floor when Zee hovers above them ready for the final blow but stops moving forward showing mercy rarely seen in such situations. Such impact causes this woman lose sight forever thereby depriving her of seeing an infamous “Queen of Dead”
This key moment will surely be recognized by fans of original movie and it changes completely everything for Zee. She does not know any of the horrors that will be unleashed once she lets the terrified girl go. No loose ends are allowed by Finn and his powerful master. That singer cheated death, and repercussions are bigger than life. Zee is left with one choice – to complete the task or become a fugitive number one in Paris. The “hitman” who destroyed the club’s lives is already being sought by police inspector Sey (Omar Sy) and his partner (Grégory Montel).
The good parts first. Emmanuel excels in this highly physical role. She isn’t only a badass double-gun-slinger turning foes into bullet riddled corpses. Zee possesses expertise in unarmed combat as well as use of anything around her as a weapon. If necessary, she can scoop out your kidney with a spoon from her kitchen drawer, no problem at all. Your average cop knows about the existence of the “Queen of Dead” but there is no solid proof of that case yet. Incognito is her middle name; just like that she can easily melt into any crowd unnoticed anywhere.
Sey is a capable primary antagonist attempting to expose the legendary murderer. The playful nature and humorous levels in their cat and mouse game are simply unmatched. Sey realizes that the club’s murder case is just a tip of an iceberg. There is a need to find out those who are really behind it. Only the blind singer can provide any credible leads, but how much does she really know? Why didn’t he kill her? It must mean that she has some sort of humanity left in her after all. Zee and Sey relationship captures this same dynamic from 1989 film between Chow and Danny Lee’s Detective Ying.
The Killer 2024 heads south with been there, done that tone. Woo’s signature action style appears throughout it all. However, it looks too familiar despite new characters and settings that look bright shiny appearances on other side. To put it straight, this film lacks no action at all since mortuary filled up because of what Zee and Sey did there for few moments when dead bodies were still fresh in everyone’s eyes like next door neighbors’. But which one does not have scenes like these among narratives of similar kind? Just as there is no single scene in the movie where something new, exciting or unique happens during the action part. By sticking to his guns, Woo delivers less than what viewers expect at such moments of climax and resolution. That was very disappointing not to mention it.
The Killer 2024 slows down considerably with unnecessary flashbacks intervening into its second act; why not use them as short breaks then? This pacing problem might also be due to those instances where someone sees him or her establishing good relations with famous blind singer around a bar area or even within her small room upstairs above noisy pub where night birds sing relentlessly throughout the night until sunrise comes back bringing dawn along with its morning freshness into our lives once again”. Indeed, original material had made a better case for itself since while they were on run from police custody, the two leads fell in love. Their romance is what actually contributed to the success of that particular film. This reboot misses an important element of the story by not going that route.
Sam Worthington is a good actor who has featured in some of the biggest movies ever made. That is not true for Finn, a character type so obviously designed as a stereotypical villain you may wonder whether this person could really be dangerous at all. Nothing seen between Zee and Sey can be found in Finn; there is no believability here whatsoever. Also, even his nickname for her using forced Irish accent sounds more like anything but real rather than funny or realistic. As such Finn seems like a weaker contender who must provide extra toughness when seeking revenge.
If one were to compare The Killer 2024 side by side with one of cinema’s finest action films, it would certainly fall short of expectations. Moreover, John Woo deserves better than this movie which fails his talent completely. In conclusion, no way does he strike gold again or miss it completely either. Doubts and comparisons spoil everything about it. It is difficult but this movie must be looked at objectively without any feelings getting in the way. Then I think people might enjoy it for what it was meant to be – a pretty good action film with some cute actors playing lead roles in them.”
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