The Killer 2024: Nathalie Emmanuel Movie Review

The action-packed thriller, The Killer 2024, directed by the acclaimed John Woo, has been generating buzz since its release. Starring Nathalie Emmanuel as Zee, the film promised high-octane fight choreography and a fresh take on Woo’s signature style. However, with mixed audience and critic reactions, we delve deeper into the movie’s plot, cast, and overall reception.

Let me start by saying this isn’t a traditional review. Instead, it’s more about a me giving up on a movie after just 40 minutes. The movie in question is The Killer (2024), directed by John Woo. Woo is a director who once had a great reputation, but now it feels like he and many other directors are just cashing in without putting in the effort. They’ve already made their names, built their mansions, and now they’re just collecting paychecks to secure their family’s future. Let’s talk about The Killer and why you might want to skip it.

The Killer is a Peacock exclusive, so if you have the platform, you can check it out. It’s rated R, runs over two hours, and trust me, you’ll feel every single minute of it. The film stars Nathalie Emmanuel as Z, who carries the movie on her shoulders. Nathalie is stunning—she reminds me of a younger Jessica Alba—but sadly, she hasn’t been in many good movies. She was in Game of Thrones, but that was during the later, less impressive seasons. Here, she plays an assassin, but she lacks the physicality and charisma needed for such a role. It doesn’t help that John Woo seems completely disinterested in the project.

Omar Sy plays a cop who’s rough around the edges, and the story jumps between him and Z. I assume their paths will cross, leading to some kind of confrontation. Sam Worthington plays a generic boss named Finn, and I’m guessing he’ll turn out to be the real villain. The plot feels lazy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it follows the predictable path of Z and the cop teaming up to take down Finn.

The story revolves around Z, a down-on-her-luck assassin who works for Finn. She spends a lot of time in a church, talks to her goldfish, and is really good at killing people in slow motion—because, of course, it’s a John Woo movie. But the slow-motion scenes feel out of place, lacking the rhythm and energy that made Woo’s earlier films like Hard Boiled and Face/Off so memorable. This is not Hard Target or Broken Arrow. It’s just bland.

One action scene I saw involved Z assembling a sword from pieces hidden in her dress and killing several people. A lounge singer gets caught in the crossfire, hits her head, and goes blind. Finn then tells Z to finish the job, so she heads to the hospital to poison the blind woman. Classy, right? But the cop intercepts her, and Z starts to feel bad for the blind woman. I’m guessing she’ll eventually try to save her, putting her at odds with Finn. It’s all very predictable.

The movie lacks soul. Even though there are doves flying through a church at the beginning—a classic John Woo touch—the film is shot on digital cameras that make everything look artificial. It’s in 4K or 8K, but it doesn’t feel cinematic. After 40 minutes, I was done. Maybe the movie gets amazing later on, but I doubt it. If a film hasn’t hooked me in the first 40 minutes, it’s unlikely to win me over.

If this had been in theaters, I might have stuck it out, but since it’s on Peacock, I decided to walk away. Life’s too short to waste on mediocre movies. I’m not hating on The Killer just to hate it—I’m trying to save you time. If you’ve seen it and think I’m wrong, let me know. Maybe I missed something brilliant. But based on what I saw, The Killer (2024) is a forgettable film that doesn’t live up to John Woo’s legacy.

Streaming platforms like Peacock, Netflix, and Amazon Prime often produce hit-or-miss content. While there are some gems, many of their movies feel like low-effort cash grabs. The Killer falls into the latter category. If you’re looking for a good action movie, you might want to skip this one.

Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed this review, Let me know your thoughts in the comments—did I miss the mark, or is The Killer as disappointing as I say?