Proud Mary

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A hitwoman named Mary (played by Taraji P. Henson) carries out a hit and accidentally leaves a young boy named Danny (played by Jahi D’Allo Winston) orphaned. This leaves her to try and take care of him, as well as doing what she can to walk away from the life she lives. The idea, the action sequences, and the performances are all pretty solid (especially Taraji P. Henson and Billy Brown). But, there’s something about this movie that I can’t help but feel is missing. The result of all these great things coming together feels incredibly hollow, and I have no idea why. I think it could be the story. It doesn’t feel like there really is much of one. Things don’t feel like they really progress. Some of the pacing is just incredibly sloppy. There are things that just happen without any real buildup. It doesn’t feel like there’s any real reason for these things to happen. A big part of the problem is the direction. The movie is directed by Babak Najafi (the same guy who directed London Has Fallen). I had the same issue with both movies. They were just both very bland films that I should have enjoyed a lot more than I did. Overall, Proud Mary is a movie with good performances, action sequences, and concept, but a hollow story, weak pacing, and dull direction.

5 / 10