I’ve been wanting to add another positive movie review to my list of recent reviewed films and thank God for “Anna” because I’d be able to do just that. “Anna” is a riveting action thriller and should be watched by action movie enthusiasts especially fans of the spy genre.
I would admit that I wasn’t paying attention to the opening credits when I watched this movie and when the ending credits started rolling I had to roll my eyes and slap my forehead and tell myself, “Of course! That’s why. It’s a Luc Besson movie!” The famed director of “Léon: The Professional” movie has another winner under his belt.
Sasha Luss (Anna) passed the eye-test on her first starring role. Well, she should. She’s a model after all. I was talking about the fact that she gave justice to Anna’s badass nature though. She was not just a pretty face in the film – she was very effective in exuding a really scary air of foreboding underneath the gorgeous exterior.
I loved the casting of Helen Mirren as Anna’s KGB handler. She was perfect for the role of a menacing and calculating figure in the world of espionage. Cillian Murphy of “Peaky Blinders” fame and Luke Evans who I loved as Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast” added additional support as CIA and KGB field leaders respectively.
It wouldn’t be a good action movie if it doesn’t deliver the goods in this area right? Well, no need to worry. “Anna” had John Wick-ish fight scenes.
A clever story. “Anna” has a “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” feel to its tale. The plot twists reminded of Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum spy novels. In a nutshell, this movie is about a young Russian girl who was living a life of abuse. She tried to enlist to the Russian Navy to escape her sorry life but the KGB took interest in her.
She was then trained to become an assassin and was given missions. Her cover was she’s a professional model in Paris. Anna had a timeline for herself though. She wanted to get out of KGB in 5 years to live wherever she wants and do whatever she wants.
The conflict here was that she went on to become one of the world’s greatest assassins and if the KGB does not want to let go of on of their best agents, will she ever get out of her clandestine and violent life?
This film has a very high entertainment value and I’m highly recommending that you watch it.
– The reviewlutionary
Sounds simple, right? If only the stars would align and give her an easy way to her freedom. That’s not the case though. She has a model girlfriend in Paris, the CIA was hot on her tail, the KGB wants to maximize her talents and a lot of rich men in Paris wants to be with her. It will take both wits and brawns to get what she wants.
Satisfying action scenes. It wouldn’t be a good action movie if it doesn’t deliver the goods in this area right? Well, no need to worry. “Anna” had John Wick-ish fight scenes. Even with a female lead star, these scenes never looked forced or awkward.
In fact, the fight scenes were one of the best things about the movie. So strap yourself, ready your favorite drink and enjoy the show. “Anna” may not be the best action film of 2019 but it’s certainly going to crowd the best ones at the top.
Highly recommended. Great action stuff plus great story are all I want in an action movie. Truth is I enjoy watching action movies just for the sheer amount of bullet clips emptied, buildings or vehicles blown up or dance-like fight scenes. Adding a mind-blowing plot full or surprises and twists just ups the entertainment and excitement levels.
If you’re a spy novel enthusiast then some parts of the story might be predictable but I guarantee that some parts would still surprise you. This film has a very high entertainment value and I’m highly recommending that you watch it.
Plot hole. There’s one glaring plot hole that I observed that I want to mention here. In the story (this is not a spoiler) Anna’s cover in Paris will be blown but I believe it should have happened way earlier than when it happened in the movie. I think that a very good detective should be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together when it comes to the high profile executions that Anna was carrying out.
All the detective had to do was connect the dots and find the common denominator among the murder victims – a certain professional model from a well-respected modeling firm in Paris.
Having said that, don’t let this discourage you from watching the movie if you haven’t already. It’s still a very good film despite that and it’s showing in Netflix.
Score: 7/10 smileys
The Reviewlutionary 