Movie Review: 'Kate' Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Kate stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the title character, Kate, an assassin for hire under the guidance of Varrick, played by Woody Harrelson. Kate’s newest assignment is to take out the brother of a major Japanese criminal syndicate, possibly the Yakuza though that’s not made entirely clear. The hit job is complicated when the target’s daughter, a teenager named Ani (Miku Martineau), arrives at the location of the hit with her father.

Like any sensible and above board assassin for hire, Kate and Varrick have scruples. They have a rule that states a target should not be killed in front of their children. However, Kate’s handler overrules this code of conduct and orders Kate to take the shot anyway, regardless of the child. Kate completes the hit but, seeing the anguished child in the aftermath of seeing her father murder, deeply affects Kate.

Not long after this hit, Kate informs Varrick that she has decided to retire once their job, killing the head of the Yakuza/Mob family is complete. Varrick does not welcome this turn of events and asks her not to make any rash decisions. Kate however, has begun to long for a normal life and when while jogging she sees a beautiful dress in the window of a shop, she indulges and buys it for an impromptu night on the town.

This leads to a one night stand and Kate’s doom. The one night stand poisons Kate’s drink and she awakens in the hospital and informed that she has maybe 24 hours to live. The poison is deadly and incurable. All Kate can do is wait for it to finish her off. Rather than wait around to die however, Kate decides that revenge is in order and after she tracks down her ‘date’ she finds that the Yakuza/Mob has found out who she is and used this creep to kill her.

Thus begins a roaring rampage of revenge in which Kate tracks down and murders everyone that stands between her and the Mob Boss she believes is behind her all too soon demise. Naturally, things are not entirely how they appear. When Kate kidnaps Ani as a way to bring Ani’s Uncle out of hiding, a whole new plot emerges and takes Kate’s roaring rampage of revenge in an entirely different direction.

What I like about Kate, enough to recommend the movie despite some reservations, is the lead performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Winstead has long been tapped for stardom but the right role has eluded her for many years since Scott Pilgrim Vs the World made her an ‘It Girl.’ Kate may not shoot Winstead into the leading lady heights, but it shows she has leading lady charisma and appeal, she can carry a movie with her presence and that’s a sign of a star.

I also enjoyed the Japanese aesthetic. Kate is set in Japan and uses the music and culture to give the movie a unique flavor. The anime inspired soundtrack and the candy colored neon lighting scheme is a lot of fun and functions to dial down the seriousness of Kate and keep it from becoming grim. Revenge stories are inherently grim as they often involve blood and death. The makers of Kate have plenty of blood and death but the sets, costumes and soundtrack manage to make the carnage appear fun.

What I didn’t love about Kate was how predictable it becomes. One character in particular is poorly chosen and that character’s role is telegraphed by the casting of this particular actor. That’s not the fault of the actor in question, that actor is very talented. Rather, it is because this actor is so good and so memorable and compelling that you can’t help but predict how this actor will affect the plot. This actor wasn’t cast in Kate to sit on the sidelines and that’s a strong indication of the function of that character. Trained moviegoers will spot this character arc from the first minute and be as disappointed as I am about how predictable it all is.

That said, I do still recommend Kate. The good of Kate outweighs the bad in the end. That’s especially true of star Mary Elizabeth Winstead whose star performance is undeniable regardless of any flaws in Kate. Her dynamic opposite Miku Martineau is wonderful, they have wonderful chemistry and they appear to bring the best out of each other. There is a lively energy between these two actresses, Kate as the pseudo-mother figure with a gun and Ani as a scared child forced to come into her own ahead of schedule. This dynamic drives Kate and is the reason I like and recommend that you watch it.

Kate debuted on Netflix on September 10th, 2021, and is available immediately for Netflix subscribers.