Review of Colombiana (2011) by Xgary X — 23 Apr 2013

The young daughter of a cartel enforcer is orphaned when her parents are murdered by his former boss and seeks sanctuary in the US where she grows to become an assassin sworn to avenge them. Luc Besson rehashes the formula of Nikita in this flashy but generic action thriller in his trademark style.

He is joined by his co-writer of Taken and it shares the rather humourless approach, but the addition of some mainstream audience pleasing sentimentality in the form of a romantic interest and murdered family means it is rather less edgy and offbeat.

Thanks to some glossy and well engineered set pieces, one of which is clearly influenced by Besson's classic Leon, Colombiana is always entertaining but it lacks the imagination and invention of his best films.

Not bad at all, but it's not quite as good as the similar Haywire and there's nothing here you won't have seen at least a dozen times before.