Cast:
Jessica Chastain Ava
John Malkovich Duke
Common Micheal
Geena Davis Bobbi
Jess Weixler Judy
Joan Chen Toni
Colin Farrell Simon
Diana Silvers Camille
Looking to NETFLIX for this weekend’s movie, I perused my ever growing list of shows and Movies that I had identified for my wife and I to watch. I stopped at Ava. Ava stars Jessica Chastain, a young actress whose movies have entertained us for the last few years. Right off the top of my head, I can think of 4 movies that I had watched in the last few years starring Chastain that I really liked, Zero Dark Thirty, Miss Sloane, Molly’s Game and The Martian. In 2 of them she was the principal star, and the other 2 strong supporting cast. I enjoyed all four immensely and was actually really looking forward to watching Ava. Not only did it have Chastain, but also Malkovich, a family favourite and Farrell, who we have liked in many of his previous films. So with that in mind, we cued up the film and poured our drinks.
So before I get into critiquing the film, let me touch on the plot of it a bit. Ava (Chastain) is about a young woman who works for an unnamed agency or corporation that specializes in assassination. Ava’s background and experience is revealed to the audience with the opening credits. Within the first minute or two of the credits we see photos and action snippets of her as an all star athlete in school, followed by joining the military and becoming some sort of Uber soldier. Interspersed, the audience is also shown a few fitness reports that state that she is a bit of a lone wolf, unorthodox and not willing to take direction. Post military service, a scoreboard of targets is shown with red X’s drawn across their faces. This tells us, that Ava (Chastain) is a real bad ass and she has killed more people than Bin Laden and that she is to be feared.
Next scene, she is on a mission and has picked up her target from the airport. Before completing her mission, she wants to find out why she has been given the mission to kill him. Apparently questioning your target before execution is verboten in this un-named agency and it gets reported up the chain to Duke (Malkovich) and Simon (Farrell) her handler and boss respectively. As a form of punishment, she is set up on her next mission for failure, and probable death. Foiling this plan, she decides to return to her home after 8 years away.
Re-uniting with her estranged sister (Weixler) and her new fiancée (Common) as well as her long lost Mother (Davis), Ava (Chastain) tries to find herself again. Concurrently her handler (Malkovich) tries to save Ava, his young protégé from the evil boss Simon (Farrell). This is displayed by a a few quasi dramatic scenes with Simon (Farrell), and his daughter Camille (Silvers) with Duke (Malkovich) that seemed forced and wooden for all concerned. Meanwhile, Ava is trying to make up for lost time with her family, trying to fix all wrongs and attempt a reconnection. As you can probably figure out (as this movie is so very predictable) Ava’s life is in danger from her previous organization and for the rest of the film she is either running/fighting for her life or saving her family. Even though some spoilers are given, I have not really delved into details to allow you the opportunity to be “surprised” as the film progresses if you choose to watch it.
What did I like about the film? I did like the premise and the cast member, and the story-line was actually laid out quite well…but that is pretty much it.
What did I think the film lacked? Well, the script was pretty lame, and there was no chemistry between the characters, well except maybe between Ava (Chastain) and Duke (Malkovich). Overall The plot was extremely predictable and the supporting cast could have pretty much been replaced by cardboard cut-outs for the actual acting skill that presented in the film. Additionally, the fight sequence with Duke (Malkovich) was also overly choreographed and you could blatantly tell that the speed of the camera was increased to show that he was supposed to be a mighty warrior. Unfortunately, it just looked to contrived and actually funny instead of giving the audience a front row seat to a great battle.
So, what are we left with? Well, the cast and my thoughts of their performance.
Jessica Chastain as Ava: Usually I really enjoy Chastain in her films. As I mentioned previously, her performances in Zero Dark Thirty, Miss Sloane, Molly’s Game and the Martian were exemplary. Even in some lesser known films like The Zookeepers Wife and Lawless, I enjoyed her performance. However, I cannot say the same for Ava. While she is good in a dramatic film, when she becomes the action star I find her lacking. Her action scenes were forced and when she tried to play tough…kind of unbelievable. Don’t get me wrong, she can be tough in films, but more in a court-room, analytics, or board-room then in a street fight. I just could not get into the character and her persona as an action star. I know several leading ladies of the past went on to star in action flicks and managed to really portray a kick-ass, tough, street fighter (i.e. Jolie, Therron, Weaver to name but a few) but in the case of Chastain, she should stick to more civilized fighting in the courtroom/boardroom. That is where her style excels.
John Malkovichas Duke: Malkovich is one of my favourite actors. He can make us laugh, cringe, hate and/or like him at the same time. In this role, while his talent is evident, the character did not mesh with the rest of the cast. He was the elderly mentor to both Ava (Chastain) and Simon (Farrell), and yet it did not play well. The only chemistry in the film (too me) was between himself and Chastain, it was really not present anywhere else. Also, as I previously mentioned, his fight sequence was comical instead of action packed. Only in RED did I find his fight sequences well done, but then it was slanted to the comedic side on purpose. What he needed to portray was the same kind of malevolence that he did “In the Line of Fire” against Clint Eastwood…now that was believable, but then again, it was almost 30 years ago. Unfortunately, he is a great actor that was put in a poor film.
Common as Michael: Even though Common has been around for quite a while, starting in the music industry and then transiting to film, I have not really watched him in a lot to say that he was memorable. For example, John Wick 2, Hunter Killer, Oceans 8, he was in all of them and I enjoyed the films, however, I do not remember him at all. Just goes to show how great his contribution was to the film. Obviously, they were neither great nor horrible, he was just part of the cast to keep the story going. The only role that I have really watched him in and remembered was his part in the series “Hell on Wheels”. While not a great actor in that show, at least I remembered his part and the role he played in the storyline. In Ava, you could have put a cardboard cut-out of any actor and it would have showed greater talent and skill. He just was a talking one-dimensional character that did nothing to add to the film. Even trying to portray his angst that Ava was a former lover and he is now with the sister came off horribly. A very poor performance overall, and I hope that he gets better roles for him to grow as an actor.
Geena Davis as Bobbi: Once a great actress, Davis has lost her edge and her talent for acting. For the few scenes that she was in, it might as well have been phoned in for all the effort she displayed in this role. Obviously, she needed a few bucks and just took the role for something to do. Even the most touching scene (at least the one that supposed to be) where she gives Ava the big reveal on how horrible a mother she was….well, was just plain horrible. Another case of a once big name riding on her previous laurels from real roles and movies.
Jess Weixler as Judy: I found Weixler kind of annoying as the sister in Ava. The little sister who was left behind to take care of ailing family and pick up her big sister’s cast-offs (Common) was just a little too clichéd for my taste. While she did not act badly in this role, I can’t say she was great either. Mind you, it could also be with who she was working her scenes with. Common and Davis gave sub-par performances so she did not have anything really to work with. My only experience watching her in film/tv to date had been in “The Good Wife” where I really liked her role and character. So obviously, it is not a talent thing, but more of her script/direction and co-stars.
Joan Chen as Toni: Chen, once a solid B actress, she had kind of drifted off into roles that were getting progressively worse and in productions that were abysmal. Her character here as the syndicate Madame who ran a gambling den was not only cheezily stereotypical but also not needed. The only thing it did was offer the reason for Ava (Chastain) to demonstrate her new fighting skills and garner a reason to help her sister and ex boyfriend/future brother in-law out. A real throw away character that was poorly written and acted. Chen had much better days in years gone by, but unfortunately I think those solid roles are long gone.
Colin Farrell as Simon: Here is another actor who I either love his film or hate it. He has a lot of talent and has demonstrated it repeatedly over the years. However, in Ava, playing a kind of hitman agency king-pin he was wasted. The character could have used a bit more backstory and also explain on how he could be Duke’s first protégé in one breath, and now his boss in the second. Kind of disjointed if you ask me. Also, there was very little chemistry between him and his co-stars. The only scene that he truly looked like was acting (though kind of weakly) was in the final act where he and Ava confront each other. In my opinion a poor role and performance from Farrell, who is talented actor…he just needed a better vehicle to project his skills.
Diana Silvers as Camille: I am only throwing this one in for comment as it is now the 2ndtime I have seen Camille in a role. First time was in “Space Force” that I reviewed last year and now she is Camille, Simon’s daughter. She really did not have much of a role except to either looked pissed or sullen in alternating fashion…oh year, and a very poor fight sequence. But then again, she is just starting out and has many years in which to perfect her talent. Of note, the last time I saw her (Space Force) one of her co-stars was also Malkovich…just as a little trivia piece.
So, overall, were we entertained? Only in the most minor sense, while the premise was good and the film had several actors in it that I really like, it failed to deliver on most levels. For this type of film, I would probably skip Ava and move on to Atomic Blonde, Peppermint or Salt if you want to see something that has a little more finesse and production value and also keep you entertained throughout. But if you have watched everything else on NETFLIX or Prime, and you are a fan of Chastain, you might want to watch it…just be prepared to play a game on your I-pad to help pass the time during the boring sequences.
Our Score: 2.5/10
If you are interested in other films starring the main cast, please consider the following recommendations!
Jessica Chastain Molly’s Game, The Zookeepers Wife, Miss Sloane, Interstellar, Zero Dark Thirty, The Martian
John Malkovich Jennifer 8, In the Line of Fire, Con Air, Ripley’s Game, Red, Red 2, Space Force
Common Hell on Wheels, Hunter Killer, Oceans 8, Meagan Leavey
Geena Davis The Fly, Thelma & Louise, Beetlejuice, A League of Their Own, Long Kiss Goodnight
Jess Weixler The Good Wife
Joan Chen The Last Emperor, Twin Peaks, Judge Dredd
Colin Farrell Miami Vice, Tigerland, True Detective, Crazy Heart, The Recruit, Phonebooth, Hart’s War, Minority Report, S.W.A.T.
Diana Silvers Space Force
Till Next Time!
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