Rating 15
Length 1h40
Release 12.01.2024
Director Thomas Vincent
About Emma has a wonderful husband and two kids in the suburbs of New Jersey. She also has a secret life as an assassin for hire, a secret that her husband Dave discovers when the couple decide to spice up their marriage with a little role play.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
Trailer:
The Good
Kaley Cuoco and Bill Nighy have amazing chemistry. It’s strange because it’s not romantic, in the slightest, but they give us some of the best scenes in the film.
Cuoco actually plays the action really well. From weaponry, to hand to hand she makes for a convincing spy/ gun for hire and I certainly welcome more work like this from her.
There’s some incredible shots, locations and camera work throughout this film. As a director of episodes of the incredible The Bodyguard (2018), Thomas Vincent has shown he’s as good on the big screen. Much like Cuoco, I am looking forward to seeing more from him.
The Bad
The film goes the long way around to set itself up and get to the action, and sometimes it’s about the journey and sometimes it’s about destination. Unfortunately, this film tries to do both and achieves neither.
By extension one of the biggest problems is who the film deems the protagonist. Initially it seems all set up for Kaley Cuoco’s Emma to lead the film as spy whose lies catch up with her. Then it briefly appears as if the film is going for a riff on Date Night (2010), before giving us Dave’s (David Oyelowo) perspective on a potential pretence that Emma has gone missing.
The film really is a Cuoco’s vehicle and could do with a narrative clean up as there’s just a little too much diversion in the middle act that brings the audience out of the film.
While there’s equally an edit in which this film exists as the duo, akin to Date Night. However, for that to work, there needs to be less separation between the couple. Most importantly, for this to be truly coherent film, a decision needs to be made.
The Ugly
The motivation of the mysterious Sovereign, the decisions made and the lengths they go to is left somewhat unexplained. Yes, there’s a connection made to Emma however it’s all centred in the past. There’s no explanation of the future and the ever important… why?
I did not like some of the cuts that made it into this, specifically ones relating to Cuoco. Way too many sad and angry faces when they weren’t necessary. Maybe the director was calling for stoic, but I’m not sure that’s what happened. Just really made me sad seeing such a pretty, and funny, person frowning so much.
Final Thoughts
It’s a decent Friday night watch, but I don’t think it’s going into anyone’s rewatch pile.
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