Review: Slick, delicious action in 'Anna' makes up for a wooden lead actress
Allegiances. Assassinations. Treachery. That's the core of almost every spy movie ever made, and it's no different in Luc Besson's Anna. The film doesn't skimp on action and intrigue, as it dazzles you with violent eviscerations and surprise twists. Yet while the action scenes are well put together, with a superb supporting cast that engages you at every turn, the plot doesn't quite unfurl as elegantly as its fights do, and the protagonist is a little... stiff.
Even though the title of Anna doesn't give away anything about the plot, the trailer should clue you in on the fact that the eponymous character is a deadly spy who gets caught in a web of lies, deceit, and death. As she adopts persona after persona to accomplish her missions, she discovers more about herself. But Anna must learn who she truly is deep inside — or someone else will.
Unsurprisingly, the whole movie rests on Anna's (Sasha Luss) characterisation. While she's written as a complex, layered character who juggles multiple identities even as she navigates the world of espionage, Luss doesn't quite manage to convey this (incredibly important) aspect of her character. Sure, we understand her motivations from her dialogue and decisions. But none of it rings true, especially not with Luss' delivery and generic facial expressions. It's the duty of an actor to make us feel like the character is a three-dimensional, living and breathing human being who is just as flawed and fallible as the rest of humanity. However, Anna feels like a plastic Barbie doll, controlled by the puppet strings of the director. You are constantly reminded that this is a Russian supermodel who's trying to act as an assassin, rather than rooting for this character to escape the complicated circumstances that she has been thrust into.
Which is a huge pity, because the rest of Anna's universe is so lovingly and exquisitely shaped. Helen Mirren (Olga), Luke Evans (Alex), and Cillian Murphy (Lenny) all play intriguing and manipulative characters who each attempt to exploit Anna for their own ends, whilst never really understanding just how far their machinations have shaped Anna's character. The film immerses you in each of the situations that Anna finds herself in, and crafts an entire world for each of the movie's different sequences. It's a pity that we're lead through this fictional universe by such a colourless protagonist, because it would otherwise be incredible to see how a believable spy would traverse this universe.
In contrast, Mirren is such a delight to watch. She plays her matriarchal role with such finesse, giving us hints of what Olga has been through even as she employs ruthless and sadistic methods to get what she wants. It's surprising that Anna can even hold her against Olga, although that's exactly what the film would have us believe.
That being said, the plot is fairly fun and moves along splendidly as it misleads us into certain assumptions, before springing new surprises upon us. The actual execution leaves a little to be desired, because the storytelling relies heavily on flashbacks and revelations about what we've seen before, and it doesn't always unfold in a clear and coherent manner. It does feel a little forced and even predictable towards the end, simply because all the obvious developments have been eliminated earlier. The unravelling of this mystery needed more polish, but it still works thanks to the pacing and violent action scenes.
Anna is a slick and delicious Luc Besson film, with imaginative direction in a stylised world. It's a little unfortunate that the central character behaves like a lifeless doll (which, ironically, sort of hews true to the themes of the film) who's just going through the motions as the plot pushes her through all its twists and turns. Nevertheless, the spectacle makes up for the stiffness, and it's a fairly enjoyable movie overall.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? No.
Score: 3.0/5
Running time: 118 minutes
Anna is an action spy thriller.
The film revolves around the life of Anna, a young woman who is drafted to become a deadly assassin. She soon finds herself torn between allegiances as she attempts to forge her own future in this cutthroat world. Her enemies soon learn that there's more to Anna than they realise — as does Anna herself.
Anna is directed and written by Luc Besson. It stars Sasha Luss (Anna), Helen Mirren (Olga), Luke Evans (Alex Tchenkov), and Cillian Murphy (Lenny Miller). It is rated M-18.
Anna opens in cinemas:
- 20 June, 2019 (Singapore)
Marcus Goh is a television scriptwriter, having written for popular shows like “Lion Mums”, “Crimewatch”, “Code of Law”, “Incredible Tales”, and “Police & Thief”. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find him on social media as Optimarcus and on his site. The views expressed are his own.
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