Colombiana Movie Review

AS A WRITER-director, Luc Besson is best known for such action flicks as “The Professional” (a 1994 worldwide hit with Jean Reno), “Le Femme Nikita” and “The Fifth Element”. Lately, though, he no longer directs but just writes the screenplays of action flicks he also produces, like “The Transporter” and its two sequels, “Taken” (a blockbuster with Liam Neeson) and now, “Colombiana”, which is directed by Olivier Megaton. Just like past Besson works, “Colombiana” is a guilty pleasure as it really succeeds in exciting us with its well staged action set pieces that sends bullets flying to all directions. “Colombiana” starts with a 10-year old girl in Colombia, Cataleya (named after the catleya orchid) who sees the death of her parents in the hands of a ruthless henchman (Jordi Molla) of a Colombian drug lord (Beto Benitez). She gets to stab his hand then she jumps out of the window that starts a thrilling chase scene in the rooftops and alleys of Bogota. As instructed by her father, she goes to the U.S. embassy and asks the help of a CIA agent then gets to Chicago where she finds her Tio Emilio (Cliff Curtis) who becomes her mentor.

The story then jumps to 16 years later. Cataleya has become a one-woman killing machine who works as an assassin for her gangster uncle but also has her own agenda, which is to take revenge on the people involved in the murder of her parents, so she takes out the entire drug cartel no less. Her first mission requires incredible acrobatic stunt showing her pretending to be a drunken woman who gets to sleep overnight in prison but whose real aim is to kill someone inside the jail. Hot on her heels is a diligent FBI agent (Lennie James) who does his best to uncover her identity. And this he succeeds in doing with the unwitting help of Cataleya’s boyfriend, Danny (Michael Vartan), a painter who doesn’t know she leads a double life.

As the grownup Cataleya, Zoe Saldana (“Avatar”, “Star Trek”) nails her role perfectly. She has the athletic prowess that makes her execution of the physically difficult action sequences very credible, spiced up with her own sensuality and exotic charms. She fires her guns without flinching and has a well choreographed mano-a-mano showdown with Jordi Molla inside a bathroom. The climactic shootout destroys an entire mansion just like in past action films as “Commando” and “Bad Boys II”. If you want a fast-paced slambang action flick, then you shouldn’t miss “Colombiana” that will also remind you of Angelina Jolie’s “Salt”.