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Kate (2021) – Tokyo wonderland

Kate has a moral story of sorts. Never screw up a job, especially when dealing with Japanese criminals. I am going out of my comfort zone for once and I am actually reviewing an action movie! But it’s not the ordinary boomer guy with tacky misogyny shooting down ninja stereotypes in Tokyo. No, this time it’s a well-developed female character and I hate that that is worthy of celebration in 2021 but it is what it is. Let’s dive in!


You are the best shooter in your business. Mission after mission you succeed with flying colors. Until you miss and start spewing blood. It seems like someone got to you. You only have a limited time to figure out who did this to you because you are indeed about to die. The clock is ticking, better hurry up. The plot of Kate is not really anything new, there are plenty of revenge plots out there. But what makes this a very entertaining watch is the fact that it doesn’t rely on sexy women killing people sexily and the setting being modern Tokyo WITHOUT any ninja fighting.

Sadly Kate falls into trope territory very quickly. An assassin raised by a morally devious father figure, seeking revenge with a timer ticking, and a lot of very easy-to-spot reveals throughout make it a rather dull watch. Well, it would be dull if it weren’t held up by great actors and even better dynamic relationships! What makes Kate’s rather boring plot pop is the aesthetic surroundings, badass action scenes, and great acting. The music being Japanese rock/pop makes the whole experience rather fresh-feeling.

Is this movie worth the watch? I would say if action movies are your thing then a resounding yes. It doesn’t try to reinvent the genre in any way but it plays its tropes very well. If you were hoping for a new take on a tired genre and also for some emotionality then you are barking up the wrong tree. Also, having acute radiation sickness seems to make you into a badass fighter with tons of strength. Seems like Chernobyl lied to us all!

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