Common Sense Media Review
By JK Sooja
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Action thriller has graphic violence, language, stereotypes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Kate
What's the Story?
In KATE, a brutally efficient assassin (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) finds herself poisoned and with only 24 hours to live. She must find out who did this to her and why. With help from her mentor and handler, Varrick (Woody Harrelson), Kate just might be able to save herself. But when an innocent teenage girl gets caught up in the mix, will Kate have time to save her, too?
Is It Any Good?
The violence on display is brutal, creative, and intense, but lots of it might be too much for some viewers. Beyond the violence, however, Kate isn't great. For one, Kate's backstory is thin and simply not enough for the audience to get invested in her or her story. Unfortunately, this means that for each wound, every flinch of pain, and all the times Kate suffers, many viewers might not care. And the problem is that the audience needs to care about Kate saving herself, not dying of poison, and finding redemption.
Further, Kate's relationship with Varrick isn't established or built well, and their dynamic or chemistry is incredibly flat. Varrick, a kind of father/mentor figure to Kate, claims at one point that Kate is the only person in the world he has ever loved. But this is never evident in their interactions, in any flashbacks, or in dialogue. Lastly, many viewers might find the story and general idea of Kate to be racist, as the story is another White savior construction that also features a White person murdering hundreds of Asian people. Additionally, it repeats many stereotypes about Asian and Japanese people specifically.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in action and thriller movies. Was the violence in Kate over-the-top, just right, or not extreme enough? Why?
How do you think this movie, including the characters, plot, and action, compares to other action movies of similar ilk?
Not that it has to, but what do you think this film would've looked like if it featured an entirely Asian and/or Asian American cast? Would this alone fix the "White savior" problem? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : September 10, 2021
- Cast : Mary Elizabeth Winstead , Woody Harrelson , Miku Patricia Martineau , Tadanobu Asano
- Director : Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 106 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Strong bloody violence and language throughout
- Last updated : July 30, 2022
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