Netflix's Kate follows the titular character, who is an assassin hired to do a job. Unfortunately, somehow she ends up poisoned and messes up what is supposed to be her last job. She wakes up in the hospital and finds that she has about a day left to live. What's an assassin to do? Hunt down those who poisoned her, of course.
Along the way Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) picks up a teenager named Ani (Miku Martineau) and the two form a somewhat familial bond. This bond, as well as the good acting by Winstead and Martineau is probably what saves Netflix's Kate from being too cliche or predictable. The relationship between Kate and Ani is anything but predictable and the story follows suit. What seems like a typical revenge story at first turns into a thought-provoking tale about the meaning of family and loyalty. Although there is plenty of action in the story, it is not solely action.
The story has an emotional core, mostly due to Kate and Ani's familial bond. The movie is visually stunning, and also does not shy away from gore or darkness in the slightest. As Kate hunts down those who poisoned her, as she and Ani grow closer, it turns out that not everything or everyone is what or who they seem to be. Characters who seem to be heroes turn out to be villains and vice versa. Kate herself is very morally grey, but still a likable protagonist. Viewers will root for her to succeed and when she finds out the full truth behind her poisoning, viewers' hearts will break for her. At the beginning of Netflix's Kate, Kate finds out from her handler Varrick (Woody Harrelson) who her target was for her last job, the one she messed up. What follows is an action-packed ride where she hunts down anyone who might know where to find her target who got away, Kijima. This is what leads her to Ani, as she is Kijima's niece. Kate ends up kidnapping Ani to try to draw Kijima out and that's the start of their unlikely relationship.
After saving Ani's life, Kate isn't able to shake her, no matter what she says or does. Despite it all, Ani stays with the older woman and helps her find her uncle Kijima. As Ani believes that he is behind the death of her father, a man Kate assassinated. Of course, Kate doesn't mention that detail to Ani, which makes for some good emotional moments. The two of them search around Tokyo for Kijima, heading to locations such as his boyfriend's penthouse. The boyfriend puts up a fight, and Ani ends up having to save Kate from him. Finally, Kate tracks down Kijima, with Ani's help. Yet everything is not what it seems. Kijima knows something that Kate doesn't, and that too leads to some good emotional moments. After Ani is kidnapped again, Kate goes to track her down, determined to ensure that Ani has the childhood Kate never had.
Netflix's Kate starts out as a typical assassin seeking revenge story. Yet it ends up being anything but that. There is an element of revenge, but the story is so much better and so much deeper than just a revenge tale. As Kate tracks down Ani's kidnappers and finally manages to rescue her, audiences will be rooting for Kate to succeed. Fortunately, she does. Ani is saved in the end, and Kate ends up destroying those who are really behind her poisoning. The fact that Kate is dying from a poison that seemingly has no antidote only ups the stakes for Netflix's Kate. Kate only has so much time to do what she wants to do and that creates intriguing tension. There's also tension because of how much Kate cares about Ani and wants to help the girl. It might seem strange for Kate to care so much about Ani, but it definitely works for this story.
Overall, Kate is an action-packed thrill ride that also has a deep emotional core. Whether viewers prefer action, adventure, or good drama, Kate has it all. Of course, the story isn't perfect. There are some less interesting moments and some viewers might guess the twists. Yet overall, the story shines. There are some moments that happen exactly as viewers would expect them to, but mostly the story isn't too predictable. And that is due in part to Kate and Ani's relationship, and the writing for both characters. The secondary characters as well, are written beautifully. And some of them will manage to surprise some audience members. The twists are interesting, though less so for the viewers who guessed them from the beginning.
For the majority of audience members, though, the twists will likely remain intriguing. Netflix's Kate does have a rather abrupt ending, and it could've probably lasted a few more minutes to properly wrap up the story and find out what happened to the characters after all they've gone through. However, overall the film is a good one. It is definitely worth the time spent watching it. It is a good example of the action-adventure genre, one that is unique enough to stand out from the crowd. However, it is not so unique that it is not recognizable as belonging to that genre. There is a good balance between action and emotion. The story is not so full of action that viewers can't get to know the characters or feel for them. In a similar way, the story is not so emotional that it distracts from the action scenes when they do happen. It's a nice mixture of action and emotion that hopefully, many people will enjoy.
Netflix's Kate might remind some viewers of another movie, Atomic Blonde. And indeed, the two films share a producer, Kelly McCormick. Though Kate manages to differentiate itself from the other film a little through its setting and characters. Kate as a character might remind some Killing Eve fans of the assassin Villanelle, if Villanelle was a bit softer. In general, Netflix's Kate is not the best action-adventure movie ever, but it is different enough from other similar stories to stand out. And that, along with its emotional core, is what saves Kate.
Kate
An action crime thriller, Kate follows the titular character, a skilled assassin at the height of her game. But when she makes a careless mistake and compromises an assignment targeting a member of the Yakuza while in Tokyo, she discovers she’s been poisoned with a deadly serum that slowly kills her from the inside out, giving her less than 24 hours to exact revenge on her killers. As her body swiftly deteriorates, Kate forms an unlikely bond with the teenage daughter of one of her past victims.