Colombiana

Colombiana is a film starring Zoë Saldana and Micheal Vartan.  The story revolves around a Colombian woman named Cataleya who at a young age witnessed the death of both of her parents at the hands of a very nasty drug lord.  Cataleya is moved into protective custody after her father’s death because she had a piece of technology the American embassy needed at the time of her father’s murder.  Cataleya avoids the federal government and travels to Chicago to live with her uncle.  Cataleya grows up and becomes a trained assassin who through the film works to take out any person involved in the death of her parents.

The problem with this film other than the fact that its utterly predictable is the fact that beyond the scenes of her childhood I didn’t care about Cataleya.  The kills in this movie are creative but they are also unsatisfying.  I really wanted Columbiana to not just tell the story of a woman seeking revenge but also the story of someone hurting who is seeking to have a place in the world.  I felt no connection to the world Cataleya operated in.   Nothing about Cataleya stands out and frankly I don’t see any personality or warmth coming from her character throughout the film.  She is a character shrouded in mystery which raises many questions about her true motives for killing and the director Olivier Megaton gives us few opportunities to learn any answers that would give the character any depth.  Supporting characters are virtually nonexistent in this film and that is acceptable because Columbiana was only made to serve as a starring vehicle for Zoe Saldana.  She is a capable actress but her character has no personality.

This film only serves as an action picture nothing more.  If you choose to see it watch it for that aspect.