Colombiana

In crime-riddled Bogota, Colombia, 9-year-old Cataleya (Amandla Stenberg) sees her mother and father gunned down on orders from drug cartel kingpin Don Luis (Beto Benites). Diving out a window, she evades the killers and makes her way to the American embassy, where a microchip with vital information “buys” her a passport to the U.S. Once there, she locates her gangster uncle, Emilio (Cliff Curtis), and says to him, “I used to want to be Xena, Warrior Princess, but now, when I grow up, I want to be a killer. Will you help me?” “Sure,” he replies, and 15 years later, Cataleya (now played by Zoe Saldana) is determined to wreak her own brand of brutal revenge on the bad guys. Slithering through air ducts, elevator shafts, and shark tanks, she's a fearless animal pursuing its prey, sketching the outline of her namesake Cataleya orchid on each of her victims. While the seemingly unconnected homicides baffle a persistent FBI agent (Lennie James), it's all part of a master plan to bring Cataleya closer to the man who ordered her parents' murder. Cataleya is also attracted to artist Danny (Michael Vartan), but is understandably cautious of swapping intimacies about her dangerous life. Directed by Olivier Megaton from a screenplay co-written by French filmmaker Luc Besson (whose Leon: The Professional and La Femme Nikita share similar themes), this is ultimately an uneven film that tries and fails to rise above its B-movie trappings. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (25 min.), a “Cataleya's Journey” behind-the-scenes featurette (10 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the production featurettes “Assassins” (12 min.), “Take the Ride” on locations (8 min.), and “Training a Killer” (6 min.), as well as the BD-Live function, and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven film.] (S. Granger)