Ava is a perfectly acceptable, instantly forgettable variation on the hitman genre. Instead, you know, this time it’s a hitwoman. The good news is, it’s not one of those “One Last Job” plotlines. The bad news is, we’d be better off if it was one of those “One Last Job” plotlines.
Jessica Chastain stars as the titular hitwoman. Lately, she’s been having a bad habit of talking to the targets in an effort to see if they really “deserve” what’s coming to them. When her latest hit goes south, Ava’s boss, Duke (John Malkovich) suggests she take a leave of absence. Ava then returns home to patch things up with her estranged family and former flame (Common). Meanwhile, Simon (Colin Farrell), Duke’s top protégée and eventual successor, deems Ava a liability and becomes determined to take her out himself.
The hitwoman plot works well enough. The various shootouts and fight scenes are adequately handled by director Tate Taylor (who also directed Chastain in The Help). There aren’t any particular action beats that will wow you, but at least the quick-cutting and shaky-cam stuff is kept to an absolute minimum.
The performances help to give the movie a boost too. Chastain makes for a likeable lead and she has a lot of chemistry with Malkovich, who delivers an eccentric performance in what otherwise could’ve been a thankless role. Farrell also does a lot with a limited role and screen time. I especially liked the way he always seemed a bit hurt and jealous of Malkovich’s affection for Chastain.
The problem is the movie more or less grinds to a halt during the second act when Ava returns home to Boston to sort out her family shit. Other than a catty performance by Geena Davis as Ava’s mother, these scenes fall flat with a sometimes-painful thud. The love triangle stuff between Ava, her sister, and her ex-boyfriend just feels like it belongs in a different film altogether. Some may appreciate that fact, but things get awfully clunky during the subplot with her ex getting in deep to a local underworld figure. While I’m glad to see Joan Chen with a decent-sized role again, it’s kind of disheartening to see her playing what is essentially a softened spin on the stereotypical dragon lady character.
Had Ava (the character) put her past fully behind her from the get-go, Ava (the movie) might’ve clicked. I’m not saying it would’ve been a classic or anything, but it certainly would’ve improved things dramatically. Because of the unnecessary subplots and family drama, it winds up missing the mark.
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