imperfection is perfection
Sporadic film reviews by a wanna-be filmmaker
KITE [2014]
Originally written for:
Directed by Ralph Ziman, Written by Yasuomi Umetsu (original anime), Brian Cox (screenplay)
Starring: India Eisley, Jaco Muller, Annabel Linder, Samuel L. Jackson
From the opening scenes the world of South Africa, through this movie’s tinted glasses, is presented to us in a grisly way, with human trafficking rife and cops who don’t seem to look twice. It is a dark and twisted world; a title card informs us that this is the world post-financial collapse and that state security has broken down. ‘Numbers gangs’ terrorise the streets, terrorising, kidnapping and selling children to international ‘flesh cartels’ run by ‘The Amir’.
It is a lot to take in to begin the movie, and during the opening scenes, we see a gang kidnapping children, while the police force seem to not care, or have resigned to the fact that there isn’t anything they can do to stop it. A sense of impending doom lurks over the film, and within this world we meet Sawa, who it seems has been caught by one of these gangs, but it is unclear. In fact, most of this movie is unclear, which is its biggest weakness. It also seems Sawa is a trained killer, which she makes brutally clear not long into the film.
We are quickly introduced to Lieutenant Karl Aker, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who is supplying Sawa with a drug called amp to erase her memories, as she was traumatised by the death of her parents and does not want to remember it. At some point in the movie it is said that the drug was developed for those who suffer from post-traumatic-stress-disorder, or PTSD. When we first see the detective and Sawa together, it becomes obvious that she is addicted to the stuff, and is trembling. Aker tells her it is an addiction, not just the amp, but her lust for revenge. So then, why the lust for revenge?
Apparently she wants to find the person who killed her parents, and despite being a cop, Aker helps her every step of the way, from providing her with the drug to erase her memories, to covering for her when she decides to get violent. His motives for doing this are unclear for most of the movie, which in this case is a positive thing and helps maintain tension. What is perfectly clear though is that both Sawa and this shady detective both want the same thing: ‘The Amir’, the head of all the human trafficking, and the man responsible for the death of Sawa’s parents.
Lost? I must admit I am a little lost just writing this, as I often was when I watched the film, but it seems like a premise good enough for an action movie, right? We have a dangerous female character, which is always refreshing in the male infested world of movies, though too often her character turns into the doe-eyed damsel in distress. She is also often scantily clad and looks easily under 18, which removes any presence or originality her character could have had. We also have Samuel L. Jackson’s detective Karl Aker, who is helping Sawa. But why? His intentions provide the best sense of tension throughout the film.
What of the action scenes though, are they any good? Well, they are a mixed bag. Some scenes really deliver some great, brutal action, despite some shaky camerawork. There is a ton of blood here, so if you have a weak stomach avoid this at all costs. But the other half of the action seems horribly by-the-numbers, with some almost cheesy looking fight scenes that look awfully choreographed. Sawa also seems invincible throughout the movie, with every bullet missing her while every bullet she fires hits its target. We never find out how she became such a merciless assassin either, she just kills everyone she comes across, convinced that each person she kills will take her one step closer to the leader of the flesh market operations, the man responsible for the death of her parents.
Unfortunately it is only downhill from here, especially when it comes to the script and story, which often makes no sense, giving the viewer a narrow chance of understanding what’s going on and why. Characters drift in and out of the movie, many are killed before they can make an impact on the film, though most of the time we have no idea who they are anyway. The script also feels very rushed, as no one really says anything of interest, and certainly not much to help us understand the story being told. There are also some horrible, cringe-inducing one liners to round off the terrible script, which isn’t exactly delivered with conviction. The acting here is mediocre at best, save for Samuel L. Jackson, and even his performance feels phoned in.
This is a movie that feels like it throws away potential. The addict angle could have been further explored, the same applies for the child trafficking, while the compromised security forces could also have been elaborated on. Rather, this movie muddies the waters by using all three of these notions and mashing them together, resulting in a messy movie that seems aimless and confused as to what it wants to say.
23 Comments on “KITE [2014]”
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imperfection is perfection 
Is there a movie that Samuel L. Jackson ISN’T in? Good lord.
Great review though mane
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I know, he is in everything these days right!! He is still the best thing about this movie though. It also has a great dystopic world, its just a pity the rest of it was pretty average
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How is it even possible that I have never even heard of a Samuel L. Jackson movie that came out just last year? Sounds like it coulda-shoulda-woulda been better. Can’t say I’ll never see it, but I’m in no rush. Great review.
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Thanks Dell! 🙂 Yeah this had a loota promise but it kinda tripped over itself
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It does sound confusing, and you’ve done a really good job of sorting through but it doesn’t seem to have the tools to save itself. Pity.
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It is a pity, cos the dystopic surroundings of the film could have made for a killer movie,
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Sounds like an interesting idea that doesn’t quite pay off. Might keep an eye out for it on Netflix etc, I’m intrigued…
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There are a ton of good ideas floating around in this one, and it is fun to watch at times. Its far from terrible
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Doesn’t sound all that interesting, I thought that was Emma
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*I thought that was Emma Stone on the poster lol.
Great review nonetheless
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Thanks mate. If Emma Stone were the ‘femme fatale’ or whatever that phrase is this probs would have been a really really good movie
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I think I’ll avoid this one, doesn’t look like something I’d enjoy. Great review as always mate.
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Thanks mate. Yeah it was kinda fun to watch but they could have done so much more to make it more than just your average action flick
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There are so many action movies out there that sometimes they come across as all the same.
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Indeed. Thing is, with some tweaking this coulda been really cool. But yeah, its just too by-the-numbers for me
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I hate a film that wastes possible potential.
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Me too man. Plus I love dystopic films, they coulda done a lot with that world as a backdrop. But nope =/
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I hate it when movies pull that shit.
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Hey, nice new rating system Jordan. I haven’t even heard of this, but can’t say I’m all that interested in this one.
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Yeah it coulda been a lot better than it was. My lil sis has designed me a new pic to go with my new rating system 😀 Watch out for it! 😛
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I really liked the Anime that this was based on, but not sure if this remake could pull it off well enough. This sounds a bit too much like Lucy, but with a whole child trafficking angle being put in Im curious and might check it out, but it’s not high on my list
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The action in this is better than in Lucy, easily, but its not a bad comparison. I’ll have to get a hold of the anime, it sounds great
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