Anna

"You’re a blank key, which means you have the potential to open many doors." - Alexander

release year: 2019
genre: espionage action/drama
viewing setting: home Bluray 5/19/20

synopsis: A young Russian girl whose life is going nowhere gets recruited and trained to be an assassin, but then finds that she can't escape that world.

impressions: So this was a pleasant surprise. I never expect much from any movie, much less ones I find in the $5 bin, and I'd put off watching this one for a while. It turned out to be a tightly-written, action- and twist-filled thrill ride. This girl really has nothing, except her intelligence and her will to control her own destiny. The KGB makes her into a ridiculously dangerous assassin, and then renegs on their promise to let her walk free after a certain period of service. So she had to find a way out - all while juggling three relationships, none of which are actually real. The fight scenes reminded me of John Wick (which isn't a bad thing) and Luc Besson's direction reminded me of his past movies of this genre.

acting: Sasha Luss is the highly-effective agent who can be human when she needs to be. Helen Mirren is her crusty old Russian handler. Luke Evans is a KGB officer, and Cillian Murphy is a CIA officer; both are contending for her affections as well as her loyalty. Eric Godon is the evil head of the KGB.

final word: This is one hell of a spy/assassin movie, well worth seeing.

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