Stewie Griffin once asked, “what ever happened to Geena Davis? She used to be in movies but she’s not in movies anymore?” It’s true, she has barely been sighted since the nineties. So, when a movie comes out and she pops up, I guess it’s worth the price of renting it on YouTube just to check it out. Is there a meta joke in here; when Geena Davis asks Ava how she looks, because it’s been so long since she’s seen her? I wonder. Ava also features reoccurring leading-lady Jessica Chastain, and support from Colin Farrell, John Malkovich and Common. It’s also directed by somewhat established director Tate Taylor, with movies The Help and The Girl on the Train to his credit. Why then is Ava not getting a cinematic release? This could spell warning signs that this movie is going to both suck and blow. But I’ll never know until I watch it! I choose to give it a go.
After a mission goes awry, and with her conscious kicking in, black-ops assassin Ava (Jessica Chastain) takes some time away to visit her family in Boston. It’s been eight years since she last saw them, when she left abruptly to join the army, following on from alcohol abuse and an incident with her father. Ava’s sister, Judy (Jess Weixler), her fiancé Michael (Common), who also used to date Ava, and Ava’s mother Bobbi (Geena Davis) all have varying issues to work through due to Ava’s sudden return. Meanwhile, Ava’s main black-ops confidant Duke (John Malkovich), is arguing to keep Ava in the program after her recent supposed screwup, where Simon (Colin Farrell) would prefer to have her eliminated.
There’s a collision of family drama and action thriller here that doesn’t particularly mesh together, whether it be through editing or the script itself. There are individual moments on both sides of the story that work really well – Ava working out the awkwardness with her sister and ex-fiancé, Bobbi bleeding her heart out to her long-absent daughter, and Simon taking on Duke before tracking Ava. If the two genres are to work in the same movie, I think I might not have had them run concurrently – I might have started the movie in Boston, so we understand that Ava visiting her family is the primary story, instead of in France, where we establish Ava’s profession. The movie does deliver us a couple of Ava’s missions in flashbacks, but I think it could have been done better, informing the family story more than just happening. Then again, perhaps the genres aren’t supposed to mix at all – how are you supposed to open your heart to sympathise with family trauma, then be passionless when a bunch of unsuspecting victims are getting assassinated?
I’ve also seen better action scenes; except for the last fight scene between Ava and Simon, which is appropriately heated. I like the examples of Ava using her femininity to her advantage; the woman murders a room of generals, then splashes a bit of blood on her face, and wobbles down the hallway in heels, and suddenly a soldier out to hunt the assassin, is aiding her to safety. The recent Charlie’s Angels movie made a similar point, that people shouldn’t underestimate the capability of women, but Ava is a little more subtly superior in application. I’ve seen the argument put forward that it’s time to put away with female assassins kicking ass in an evening dress, but I don’t understand that; if it works, it works. If James Bond exists as the epitome of brash masculinity, then surely female badasses can exist that accentuate their elegant femininity. I don’t really know what the alternative is; women assailants in a three-piece suit – well, you can have that too, if you write it, and it’s written well. There’s a hint that Simon doesn’t value women as proficient assassins in the field, that pricks up the ears of his daughter, Camille (Diana Silvers), similarly to what it did my own, but that prejudice never leads anywhere solid; I thought Camille might’ve turned on Simon, or Ava would have achieved the upper hand because Simon underestimates her. Admittedly, Ava does get the upper hand but I don’t think it’s clearly because she’s female; Simon just straight up walks out on their fight-to-the-death after realising how evenly matched they are – bizarre.
I like how the movie filled us in with Ava’s history through the opening credits – it was a great way to establish the character without having to sit through messy exposition or the likes. It’s disappointing that we never understand what kind of operation Ava is a part of, considering that the plot hinges on Ava talking to her assignments to try to figure out if they are bad people, herself. I also absolutely did not care about Michael and his gambling addiction, although the resulting altercation with his card shark did provide Ava an opportunity to spill her guts about how she feels being home again, and reflect on the person she has become. Yet, you could have just as easily had the same scene between her and an old trashy childhood friend, instead of a third-rate villain in a makeshift nightclub. You can probably tell; Ava is a bit of a mixed bag in its execution – there are some enjoyable moments and feasible ideas in an otherwise bad movie. Therefore, the apt rating will follow.
2.5
Leave a Reply