A top CIA operative, Avery Graves (Beckinsale), is blackmailed by terrorists into betraying her own country to save her kidnapped husband (Friend). Cut off from her team, she turns to her underworld contacts to survive and help locate the coveted intelligence that the kidnappers want. Betrayed at every turn, she must rely on her cutting-edge training and primitive fighting skills in a deadly race to deliver a ransom that could trigger a global crisis.
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When I first saw Canary Black was available on streaming, I didn’t know what to make of it. From the trailer, it looked like a female spy flick of some type. All I knew was that Kate Beckinsale was back in action films again. So, I decided to give it a shot. Would it be worth it, or is it another in a long line of streaming films that are just a waste of time?
Kate Beckinsale made a name for herself back in the early 2000’s with Underworld, and established herself as an action heroine. Then, after several sequels and a few other action flicks, suddenly she was back to dramas and rom-coms. But, now she’s back again with Canary Black, and it puts her front and center of another action-packed flick. Apparently starring in action flicks is like riding a bike, and she easily falls back into the role. In fact, the only time she isn’t as good is when she’s supposed to be showing emotion or compassion.
The rest of the cast is decent enough, with Ray Stevenson being the biggest part of that. He balances out her cold demeanor with a genuine warmth and caring for her, and does a good job to play counter balance to her assassin. Everybody else, including the bad guy, seem mostly just background filler.
In a lot of ways, Canary Black is a hearkening back to her Underworld glory days. She is a lethal weapon, goes against the rules to get what she wants, and even when it looks like she’s helpless, she manages to turn the situation back to her advantage. Even the iconic dual wield guns firing at the camera are recreated at one point. That gives viewers an odd sense of déjà vu, and doesn’t help the viewer to really get into the film.
With that sense of having seen all this before, Canary Black seems to be more about the flash and the tech than about putting together a good film. It’s an okay action flick, and passes the time, but the viewer never really gets emotionally involved, enjoying the action and gadgets more than anything else. It’s too bad that Beckinsale’s return to action has to be in this flashy – but altogether empty – rerun of her greatest hit.
