Ava – A Stylish Assassin Thriller That Struggles to Hit Its Mark
Released in 2020 and directed by Tate Taylor, Ava is a slick, action-thriller that follows the life of a deadly female assassin whose past begins to unravel as her professional world collides with her personal demons. Starring Jessica Chastain in the titular role, the film offers a mix of international espionage, family drama, and brutal fight sequences. While the premise holds potential and the cast is undeniably strong, Ava ultimately falls short of becoming the sharp, character-driven action film it aspires to be.
Jessica Chastain plays Ava Faulkner, a former soldier turned globe-trotting assassin who begins to question the motives of the people she works for. Operating under the guise of elite contract kills for a mysterious organization, Ava’s main rule is to confront her targets about their wrongdoings before executing them—a trait that puts her at odds with her superiors, particularly her handler Duke, played by John Malkovich. When a mission goes wrong, Ava becomes a liability, and the same organization that trained her turns against her.
As she fights to survive, Ava also returns home, where unresolved family tensions surface. Her strained relationship with her alcoholic mother (Geena Davis), her sister (Jess Weixler), and her ex-fiancé (Common) adds emotional complexity to an otherwise standard assassin narrative. These domestic elements are meant to humanize Ava and show the toll her double life has taken, but they often feel underdeveloped and disconnected from the film’s main plotline.
The action sequences, choreographed with precision, are one of the film’s strengths. Chastain throws herself into the physicality of the role, delivering believable combat scenes and portraying a character who is as vulnerable as she is lethal. The cinematography favors close-quarters fights and handheld tension, lending a gritty realism to the violence. However, despite these well-staged moments, the overall pacing of the film suffers from uneven tone shifts and a lack of narrative cohesion.
Supporting performances are solid, if underutilized. John Malkovich brings his usual eccentric charm to Duke, serving as Ava’s moral anchor and father figure. Colin Farrell plays Simon, a higher-up in the organization who becomes a key antagonist, delivering a cold, calculated performance. Yet, with so many characters and threads, the film struggles to give any of them the depth they deserve, including Ava herself.
Thematically, Ava touches on addiction, redemption, and the cost of violence, but it skims the surface of these ideas without truly exploring them. The script feels more like a setup for a franchise than a fully developed standalone story, leaving the viewer with unresolved arcs and a sense of narrative incompleteness.
In the end, Ava is a visually polished but emotionally hollow action film. It benefits from a talented cast and competent direction, but it lacks the originality and depth to distinguish itself in a crowded genre. For fans of assassin thrillers, it offers some compelling moments, but as a character study or genre reinvention, it never quite lives up to its potential.
