Proud Mary (2018)

Though it wasn't one of my most anticipated movies of the year, I was interested in seeing Proud Mary. The ensemble cast is terrific and the lead is a black woman, the amazing Taraji P. Henson. Unfortunately, this film is only a huge waste of talents and potential.

Mary (Taraji P. Henson) is a reliable hit woman working for an organized crime family in Boston. When one of her targets leaves a young boy, Danny (Jahi Di'Allo Winston), orphaned, she decides to keep an eye on him. A year later, filled with guilt, she takes Danny in and tries to protect him. In the process of doing that, she kills Uncle (Xander Berkeley), the Russian drug dealer who "owned" Danny, and starts a gang war between the families.

The first problem with Proud Mary is that everything goes exactly as one would expect it to go. The plot is uninspired, clichéd and predictable. There are plotholes the size of the moon and some completely irrelevant subplots. It's not interesting nor engaging. It's just boring and unfocused. 

The second problem is the characters. They have very little characterization and no development whatsoever. Sure, the movie is short --thank god it's only 88 minutes-- but we barely get to know Mary. Her backstory is almost non-existent --we just get this very motherly character but why is she this way-- and overall she is dull. The other characters are just as dull and uncompelling. The villains are weak to say the least --they wouldn't even scare a wimp-- and they don't challenge Mary at all, neither physically nor intellectually. And the character of Danny is so inconsistent! One moment he is a tough street kid, the next one is a whiny kid. Because of the terrible writing, I couldn't care about any of them.

Screen Gems

Then there's the cast. Proud Mary is such a waste of talents. Taraji P. Henson is a great actress but she isn't given enough to do a good job here. She is clearly having fun, but that's not enough to carry a film that just won't keep you interested. She has a nice chemistry with Jahi Di'Allo Winston, who plays Danny, but that's it. The supporting cast looks uninterested and bored, especially Danny Glover and it's very hard to take him seriously as a hitman boss or whatever his character is. At last, How to Get Away With Murder's Billy Brown is basically a piece of wood. 

And the direction is so dull and flat. Henson is rarely given the attention she deserves, the fast pace often feels too rushed, there's no tension nor suspense whatsoever and the action sequences are not that exciting. Henson does come off as a badass though and the music, though it doesn't always feel right, is good.