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2011, 08-25:
Review of film: “COLOMBIANA”
Turning a “Delicate FLOWER” into a TOUGH COOKIE...
The place is Bogota, Colombia— a city known for “surrounding” problems of long-lasting DRUG WARS going on...
... We meet a man – seemingly a “lower-level” drug-dealer -- who’s meeting with the “BIG BOSS” Marco (played by JORDI MOLLA)...
... Altho Jordi lets the man “go”, it’s clear his life has been THREATENED...
... The man thus rushes home to try to save his FAMILY from what’s “coming”... He talks to his wife, & especially his young daughter Cataleya (played by AMANDLA STENBERG)-- who’s named after a delicate Cattaleya ORCHID that grows in the area, as represented by a locket she wears around her neck...
... He gives the daughter an item he wants her to HIDE from the men who he says will be coming soon...
... Jordi’s men arrive at the home, & violently KILL the man & his wife-- & heatedly chase the DAUGHTER to try to get the item her father had given her...
... After a lot of action-filled chases, Zoe gets away, visits “contacts” of her dad, & eventually escapes to the CHICAGO area, where she lives with the family of her father’s BROTHER... The brother is also involved with drugs, & wants to PROTECT the girl as much as possible...
... But Cataleya proves to be very “difficult”, & makes clear she wants to be taught more MARTIAL arts so she can try to extract RETRIBUTION on those who’d murdered her family back in Colombia...
... Altho the uncle is quite willing to teach her his illegal “businesses”, he isn’t eager to help her in the “FIGHTING” areas-- but she’s very headstrong in her goals...
... Some years later, we meet the grown-up Cataleya (now played by ZOE SALDANA)...
... She’s clearly learned a LOT about handling guns and military-type tactics, & obviously is still consumed with the idea of teaching a “LESSON” to the Colombians who’d killed her mom & Dad-- as represented by a “tagline” on the movie poster which says, “REVENGE is Beautiful”...
... Zoe learns that someone involved with the Colombian drug group that hurt her family is in the LOS ANGELES area -- & he’s in the custody of some Federal agents who need to leave him in a local prison before he can be transferred to “THEIR” control...
... Zoe thus quickly goes out to L.A. to try to “REMOVE” the druggie who’s affiliated with the Colombian group she hates... She takes great pains to disguise herself & get arrested, so she can be in the same JAIL as the druggie guy she’s after...
... Then, with considerable planning, she devises & implements a strategy to get out of her cell & go thru AIR-DUCT VENTS to get to the guy, then to KILL him, get back to her cell...
... She then continues her carefully-thought-out-plan, & ESCAPES from jail as various local & Federal authorities -- & DRUG cartel people – chase “after” her when they’d found out what she’d done...
... Once she returns home, she returns to seeing a boyfriend named Danny Delaney (MICHAEL VARTAN)-- who likes her a lot, tho he doesn’t really know much about her overall...
... Due to an inadvertent act by Michael, both the DRUGGIES & the FEDS start to track down Zoe’s whereabouts... That starts to imperil her FAMILY in the Chicago area & also her, leading to a bunch of PURSUITS & shootouts...
... Will Zoe’s FAMILY be threatened by either group chasing her?... Will they provide details about ZOE as the groups want?...
... Will Michael be forced to reveal things as the groups try to capture Zoe?...
... Will Zoe be able to get REVENGE on some of the main drug dealers, which has been her goal for years?... Will she be able to safely get AWAY from the OTHER drug dealers & Feds who are after her?...
... Some people might view this as somewhat “cartoonish”, in the way you have someone who in-effect is virtually a “SUPER-HEROine”, the way she’s able to plan and carry-out very involved activities to try to exact REVENGE from the drug dealers...
... But, I found it to be quite CLEVERLY constructed, with very EFFECTIVE “cat-like” movements by Zoe to try to accomplish her various goals... That’s why I said, you’ll see Zoe turn from being a “Delicate FLOWER” into a TOUGH COOKIE...
... Yes, the action is “intense”, but it all “WORKS” & came across as an impressively ENJOYABLE ACTION / THRILLER, with quite good acting, a bunch of “twists”, & a number of good SPECIAL EFFECTS (re explosions & combat & the like)...
... Accordingly, I’m rating this at 8.0 out of 10 stars...
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