Director John Woo has given us some of the most action-packed movies, like Hard Target, Mission: Impossible 2, Face/Off, just to name a few. One of his most iconic movies, The Killer, received worldwide praise and was remade with Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel in 2024. The remake, directed by Woo himself, had amazing action and performances, but did not do well at the box office. Nonetheless, the film is now getting its due on streaming.
The Killer rose to seventh spot on Amazon Prime’s Global top 10 charts, as per FlixPatrol, in the past few weeks. It has since dropped to the number 33 spot, which is still impressive considering the streamer’s expansive library. It stands tall amid titles like Red One, She Rides Shotgun, and holiday favorites like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and more. Upon its limited theatrical release, it grossed just over $318,618 on a $30 million budget. As for its rating, critics awarded a 59 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating, while the audience score sits even lower at 49 percent.
What’s ‘The Killer’ About?
With a gender-swapped lead, The Killer follows a professional and infamous hit woman, Zee, living in Paris. She’s well known and feared in the city’s underbelly as the so-called Queen of the Dead. Things take a turn when, during an assignment from her shadowy mentor and handler, Zee refuses to kill a blinded young woman in a nightclub. This decision breaks Zee’s alliances and draws the attention of a police investigator. She is then plunged into a sinister criminal conspiracy that sets her on a collision course with her own past.
The action thriller has some compelling performances from Emmanuel and Omar Sy as Sey. It has amazing action choreography, all of which is very well performed by Emmanuel and Sy, making it a compelling watch. The screenplay by Brian Helgeland, Josh Campbell, and Matt Stuecken keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the runtime. No wonder the movie is getting its due on streaming, as it keeps popping up on streaming charts. Along with the aforementioned cast, the feature also features a mix of Hollywood and French talent, including Sam Worthington as Zee’s handler Finn, Diana Silvers as Jenn, Saïd Taghmaoui as Prince Majeb, and Angeles Woo as Chi. Further rounding off the cast are Éric Cantona, Tchéky Karyo, Grégory Montel, Hugo Diego Garcia, Elie Haddad, Jaz Singh Deol, Michaël Erpelding, and Aurélia Agel, among others.
The Killer is streaming on Amazon Prime. Check out the trailer above and stay tuned to Collider for more such updates.
- Release Date
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August 22, 2024
- Runtime
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126 minutes
- Writers
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Brian Helgeland, Josh Campbell
- Producers
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Alex Gartner, Charles Roven, Lori Tilkin, Luc Etienne, Mark Gordon, Terence Chang