Canary Black Review: An Agent on Assignment

Pierre Morel’s Canary Black stars Kate Beckinsale as CIA agent Avery Graves, whose life is turned upside down when her husband David is kidnapped. Forced to choose between country and loved ones, Avery embarks on a perilous mission to retrieve classified intelligence and save her spouse.

At the helm is French director Pierre Morel, known for pulse-pounding action flicks like Taken. Canary Black releases on Amazon Prime later this fall, and there’s potential for edge-of-your-seat thrills.

Yet Avery’s assignment may turn out more complicated than expected. Between betraying colleagues and eluding capture, she’ll face deception at every turn. Who can she trust as the line blurs between allies and foes? And how high will the stakes climb with a shadowy virus called “Canary Black” in the mix? Viewers will just have to hit play to see if Avery can keep her wits amid the danger and turmoil closing in around her.

Smooth action and suave star power brought me onboard initially. Now let’s see if Canary Black can soar or fall short of expectations. Strap in—this review is diving deep to interrogate the film’s strengths and shortcomings.

Analyzing Canary’s Course

First thing’s first, let’s get into this flick. Our story kicks off with CIA agent Avery Graves going about her usual business—completing global missions and taking down bad guys with ease. It seems this lady’s got it all under control. But little does she know, trouble’s about to come knocking.

Back at home in Croatia, Avery enjoys downtime with husband David. Yet their peace shatters when David’s suddenly taken hostage. Avery receives a chilling call: retrieve a secret file called “Canary Black” ASAP if she wants to see David alive. This file contains super-sensitive intel that could endanger worldwide security. No pressure, right?

From here, Avery’s in a race against time. “Canary Black” holds answers, but stealing from the CIA isn’t simple. Worse, it seems Avery’s being set up—who can she really trust? As she digs deeper, her loyalty gets questioned, and enemies surround her. Pretty soon there’s no telling friend from foe.

All the while, the stakes escalate. It turns out “Canary Black” is some seriously dangerous malware. In the wrong hands, it could trigger cyberwars and infrastructure collapse globally. No pressure for Avery at all! With her husband’s life and world peace on the line, she’ll need all her skills to navigate layers of betrayal and make it out on top.

Key players include the terrorists holding David and seemingly pulling strings. We’ve also got Avery’s CIA associates, some helpful and others seeing her as a traitor. How this all connects, and whether Avery keeps her cool amid the chaos, is what makes Canary Black’s story so gripping. Next up, we’ll dissect the film’s execution of this twisting tale. Strap in—this review’s just getting started!

Examining the Execution

Pierre Morel takes over for Canary Black, and his stamp is all over this thing. Having made his name with kick-ass flicks like Taken, Morel knows how to crank the tension till it’s near breaking. But how does his vision translate here?

The first thing that stands out is that this cat-and-mouse game flies by at a breakneck pace. Scenes skip like a scratched record, demanding your full attention. It mirrors Avery’s frantic hunt for answers. Morel ensures not a moment’s boredom, for better or worse.

The set pieces truly shine as the thrills keep coming. One standout sees Avery infiltrating an enemy stronghold through sheer martial arts mastery. Bodies fly left and right as she navigates an onslaught with balletic grace. It breathes new life into the dusty espionage formula.

Yet for all its kineticism, I felt some sequences fell flat. Car chases through anonymous streets lack the personal stakes of Avery’s prior missions. And a late-game brawl in dim cave lighting makes impact hard to judge.

Morel also holds back on prolonged emotional beats. While keeping the gas pedal floored, this risks reducing Avery to a plot device. A touch more character work could’ve deepened the drama.

Still, Morel recaptures that edge-of-seat magic from Taken. And his concussive directorial style keeps Canary Black zipping at breakneck speed, for better and worse. Ultimately the man knows his forte is pulse-racing action, so it’s a mixed bag—but never anything less than propulsive.

Exploring the Players

Let’s talk characters. Avery Graves takes center stage, and Kate Beckinsale looks right at home in the role. With her signature poise and prowess, Beckinsale inhabits Avery’s complexity—the steely resolve masking private torment. She makes Avery’s blistering attacks and haunted hesitance feel genuine.

But does the script do right by its leading lady? While Avery’s martial mastery feels tangible, her inner depths stay in shadows. We learn the basics, not what built this woman. Flashbacks could’ve fleshed her out, sharing what shaped her beyond spousal love.

As for said spouse, David left me wanting. Rupert Friend plays him as kind, but there’s little flesh on this forgettable figure. Neither he nor Avery feel grounded in their relationship, so its stakes don’t sting like they should.

Meanwhile, the villains vary in intrigue. Terrifiers like human trafficker Hakim Ahmed activate revulsion, while intermediaries like Maxfield feel more functional than colorful. More compelling antagonists could’ve upped stakes immensely.

Supporting Avery, Romina Tonkovic makes an impression as sorceress-like Sorina. She brings whimsy to tense moments and deepens Avery’s world. I only wish we met more allies so richly drawn.

In the end, while Kate Beckinsale excels, this tale’s characters stay silhouette more than multifaceted people. With sharper insight into what moves them beyond assignments, Avery and company could have soared from serviceable to sublime. As is, they operate more as plot devices than the psychological driving forces stories need.

In summary, a spot-on star, but given more nuanced fleshing out, these characters had potential for greatness surpassing the sum of their purposeful parts. A little lubricating layer of humanity could have gone a long way.

Considering Craft and Concept

So how did Canary Black come together on a technical level? Let’s take a look behind the scenes.

Production values had a tendency to peek “B-movie.” Costumes and set pieces felt dingy compared to glossier spy flicks. I wondered if a bump in budget could’ve elevated atmospherics.

Cinematography showed variable proficiency. Tight framing during fights made action visceral. But stationary shots left less to the imagination elsewhere. More dynamic camerawork may have energized slower moments.

As for dated aspects, you nailed it—that modem noise was pure early 2000s. Still, props to creators for capturing vibes of the era through subtle touches. The overall retro style created a convincingly nostalgic package.

Themes like betrayal and moral dilemmas gave Avery’s ordeal heaviness. Yet I felt emotionally distant from characters. Stronger emphasis on personal motivations could have resonated more profoundly.

And while technical flaws didn’t destroy the ride, smoother execution may have prevented me from occasionally clambering out of the story to pick at seams. More polish draws viewers in more fully.

In the end, craft elements delivered the intended escapist fun, even if room for improvement exists. The concepts aimed high but fell short of full realization. With refinement, this thriller’s impact could have proven even more memorably thought-provoking.

Evaluating Canary Black’s Place

So how does Canary Black stack up against its spy siblings? Let’s see how it fits in the family.

Placing it next to slick franchises like Bond, Bourne, and Mission: Impossible really spotlights its limitations. The script feels lackluster compared to their intricate yet engaging tales. Action sequences also pale against their polished executions.

On the other hand, it reminds me of scrappy early 2000s flicks. Like The Bourne Identity or Alias, it scrapes by relying more on drive than depth. Still, those thrived on newness—this genre’s grown more refined since.

In terms of representation, it’s a step up from the damsel-in-distress roles of yesteryear. Avery stands as a capable heroine leading her own adventure. But she could’ve used sharper characterization to put her on par with icons like Jolie or Vikander’s Croft.

So in the grand scheme, Canary Black is solid B-tier entertainment but far from genre-shaking. It satisfies a fun ride yet leaves room for more ambitious storytelling we’ve come to expect from the format.

In today’s evolving context, female grrl power pictures are thankfully becoming standard Hollywood fare. So maybe this flick feels a touch dated—the action’s enjoyable enough, yet viewers deserve heroines who wrestle us as fiercely mentally as physically.

All in all, it’s an average addition to the canon, though greater care could’ve lifted Avery’s adventure from the shadows of its storied siblings into the limelight on its own merits.

Finalizing the Verdict

Alright folks, we’ve hit the end of our espionage escapade. So what’s the final word on Canary Black?

On the plus side, Kate Beckinsale owns her role as the butt-kicking Avery Graves. Her magnetic screen presence alone makes this an entertaining ride. The fast-paced direction from Pierre Morel also ensures the action keeps flowing at a breakneck clip.

That said, some scope for improvement remains on the character and story fronts. A deeper exploration of Avery and her relationships could have amplified the stakes. While serviceable overall, a punchier script may have elevated Canary Black above routine genre fare.

At the end of the day, this spy thriller delivers some popcorn-worthy fun without breaking new ground. If explosive scenes and Beckinsale’s charisma are your priorities, you’ll get your money’s worth on Prime. But those seeking psychological substance or script innovation have seen smarter thrills.

In the end, you could do far worse for a light-hearted espionage fix. But you may find more ingenious mysteries (or mysteries with more ingenuity) elsewhere. For my money, this one’s a matinée worth catching—just don’t expect a masterclass in the genre. The verdict? A solid rental, if you’re keen; otherwise, wait until it pops up for streaming. Keep your expectations reasonable, and Canary Black will do the job.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off for my next cinematic adventure. This reviewer is signing off—thanks for joining me on this ride!