Canary Black (2024) Review: Kate Beckinsale’s Committed Performance isn’t Enough to Elevate This Spy Action-Thriller Above Mediocrity

Pierre Morel’s track record in the action movies post-Taken is best described as very much a hit-and-miss affair but anytime he’s back with the genre revolving around a lone expert in weaponry and martial arts skills, it’s hard to ignore his output no matter whether it’s going to turn out good, bad or plain mediocre. So, the latest one sees him team up with Kate Beckinsale, who is no stranger to the action genre herself in a spy action-thriller Canary Black.

The movie opens with a pre-credits sequence in Tokyo as CIA operative Avery Graves (Kate Beckinsale) in a distracting wig fighting her way to stop the Japanese crime organisation. I have no qualms about Beckinsale’s physical agility because she still looks good at gunning down her enemies or engaging in hand-to-hand combats. But what bothers me here is the way Morel frames his action set-piece and the overall choreography somehow lacking the necessary visceral flair and palpable tension.

At first, I figured Graves is code-named “Canary Black” as part of her cover-up but it doesn’t turn out that way (for the record, I didn’t watch the trailer). The title in question actually refers to a top-secret file, which according to CIA Deputy Director Evans (Ben Miles) is “a top-secret master list of blackmail material for all government personnel”.

Graves soon finds herself labelled as a traitor after she is forced to retrieve the file at all costs within nine hours or risk her husband’s life, David (Rupert Friend), who is kidnapped by an unknown enemy from home in Zagreb, Croatia. Evans assigns Graves’ superior Jarvis Hedlund (Ray Stevenson, who died last May at the age of 58) and Agent Maxfield (Jaz Hutchins) to track down Graves.

Now, Graves is on the run from the CIA while racing against the clock to get the Canary Black file. Her lone mission soon secretly involves Hedlund and Sorina (Romina Tonkovic), where the latter is a hacker who owes Graves, to help her along the way.

Well, I really wanted to love Canary Black because the idea of Pierre Morel and Kate Beckinsale joining forces in a spy action-thriller genre sounds like it’s going to be a blast. Running at 101 minutes, the movie indeed wastes little time getting to the point as the bulk revolves around Graves running, hiding and fighting to survive while trying her best to get her hands on the Canary Black file. There are obligatory shootouts, more hand-to-hand combats and of course, a car chase. And yet, the action like the less-than-stellar opening scene feels generic.

The whole story angle, which is credited to Matthew Kennedy of 2020’s Inheritance starring Lily Collins and Simon Pegg, is nothing more than your average spy-movie clichés straight out of the assembly line (not surprisingly, Mission: Impossible happens to be one of them). Morel’s direction simply goes through the motions while barely elevating his movie beyond its mediocrity level.

Frankly, that’s a real pity because Kate Beckinsale gives her all, at least physically in playing a top CIA operative-turned-fugitive. Her no-nonsense turn is on point as usual and I notice she sounds raspier than ever but that doesn’t distract me one bit. I’m glad that the wig she wore in the opening scene only happens once because I can’t imagine watching her wearing that if it remains for the rest of the movie.

Shame that her character is largely undermined by Kennedy’s perfunctory screenplay and Beckinsale’s charisma could only go so far. This marks the second time her otherwise committed performance in a straight-to-streaming movie doesn’t match with the overall writing and direction after Jolt in 2021. Ironically, both movies are from Prime Video.

By the time the movie wraps up with an open ending with the introduction of a new character played by Saffron Burrows, suggesting there’s a sequel on the horizon. For now, Canary Black is sadly a missed opportunity that squanders its potential to become a thrilling franchise starter.

Canary Black is currently streaming on Prime Video.