by Shane Conto
Who is ready for this month’s addition to the steady stream of “let’s make them an action star” movies? If you are, Ava is here! Jessica Chastain gets this treatment as she plays the titular character who is a dangerous assassin for hire. The film drops the audience right into a mission showing off Chastain as a chameleon and an assassin with a code. What did you do to deserve this? This is a dangerous question for Ava to ask her targets. She needs to know…but her bosses prefer that she doesn’t. To make things even worse, Ava is a recovering alcoholic with a complicated family dynamic. Throw in a few impressively talented supporting actors like John Malkovich and Colin Farrell and you got yourselves a viable action flick.
But does Ava deliver upon its potential?
Tate Taylor, a director with a career full of mixed bag efforts from Ma to The Girl on the Train to The Help, tries to capture the energy of modern classic action films like John Wick. Everyone is a dangerous fighter with their hands and their guns. Hell, there is even a night club scene. The music is pumping with dance vibes from composer Bear McCreary. But Ava never feels like it earns that energy as it falls into that “rip-off” category. The film tries so hard to be the next John Wick that it never really finds a defined identity. As someone who considers themselves an action snob, I watch an action film expecting it to really deliver in that area. When there are plenty of recent examples of masterful action, you really need to deliver. Ava never quite reaches there. Some of the action is well staged with strong choreography and camera work that captures it. There are unfortunately plenty of moments of terrible editing and overbearing sound mixing that distracts instead of elevates. One particular fight pitting Malkovich and Farrell against one another feels like they are constantly hiding stuntmen because of how unrealistic it is to see Malkovich really fight at this stage in his career. The pacing is unbalanced as well because too many moments of family drama drag the film to a grinding halt.
But don’t you need that drama to balance out the story from just being one giant action scene?
That is true, but you also need that drama to be well realized and fleshed out. This film does not deliver. Matthew Newton tries to stuff too many angles into his screenplay. You have Ava dealing with so many different subplots that none of them feel really fleshed out or worth spending too much time on. The whole dynamic with her sister is soap opera level melodrama as Ava’s former lover is now dating her sister. Of course, there has to be sexual tension whenever Chastain and Common are on screen. The film just feels like the bottom falls out whenever these cheesy scenes happen. The one and off again connection feels so forced. The work-related drama feels more organic to the story being told even if it is not filled with depth. The dynamic between Ava and her mentor, portrayed by Malkovich, is believable and provides some of the better moments in the film. But Malkovich is unfortunately saddled with expositional dialogue and a poorly edited fight scene. The film in general feels bloated with underdeveloped subplots that may have dragged less if fleshed out more.
The real highlights of the film are the committed performances from most of the cast. Jessica Chastain is a top-notch actress who brings her all to every role she has. She embodies this character and all the emotions that she feels. Chastain also delivers the physicality of the action sequences as well. John Malkovich is John Malkovich and brings that screen presence to every scene. Colin Farrell doesn’t have a whole lot to do as the film’s antagonist, but he is charming and charismatic as always. Geena Davis is sassy in a limited role and Common is probably the weakest link in the main cast.
Will you be streaming Ava or hitting up a theater this weekend to check it out?
There was potential here like many films in this genre before it. Ava never quite delivers on this ensemble cast nor the set pieces it presents. The action isn’t even that compelling to be worth a watch just for that. In the end, this might deliver just enough for some to justify the rental. In all honesty, there are plenty of other action films to spend your time with instead of this one.
Grade: C-