Common Sense Media Review
By JK Sooja
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Language, sex, drugs in gritty, very violent thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
AKA
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In AKA, an incredibly efficient undercover agent named Adam (Alban Lenoir) is tasked with infiltrating an organized crime family in order to get to a terrorist target and uncover their plans.
Is It Any Good?
There's a lot to like here for fans of gritty, violent, action thrillers. For viewers who can stomach the violence, AKA might just be the thrill ride that will hold them over until the next installment of their favorite action movie franchise. Viewers who can't stomach the violence, however, might not make it through the entire film, as it's packed full of bloody violence from beginning to end. The action is well-paced, choreographed, and sequenced, and the story is compelling enough, even though it borrows its ideas from many other thrillers that have come before it. The performances are serious and solid, even if viewers' suspension of disbelief really must be willingly given, and increasingly so, as the movie brutally marches ever onward.
For some, the killing machine and main character that is Adam might come across as a little too good at fighting, killing, and not dying. Even though he gets hurt some and even though he shows a little bit of humanity and emotion in his drive to protect children in need, mostly, Adam might as well be a robot, effortlessly confident and calm in every dangerous and deadly situation. For instance, comparing Adam to the genre-standard John Wick might be instructive here, as the latter succeeds much more in seeming like he's really put off by all that he has to go through and do in order to achieve his goals. In contrast, Adam never seems all that perturbed or put out. Sure, he feels pain when hurt, shows some worry if a child is kidnapped, and recognizes the real evil when he needs to, but there's something missing, just a bit. It's like all the parts are present, but they don't add up to more than the sum of them.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in action and thriller movies. Did you find the extreme violence in AKA to be too much? If so, why? If not, what kept the violence watchable?
Did you find the depiction of the crime family to be realistic? Why, or why not?
Were Adam's fighting and killing abilities believable? Why, or why not?
Was the conclusion satisfying? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : April 28, 2023
- Cast : Alban Lenoir , Eric Cantona , Thibault de Montalembert , Sveva Alviti
- Director : Morgan S. Dalibert
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 122 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : May 9, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate