Proud Mary

In the spirit of ‘70s blaxploitation films—ethnic action thrillers that were originally aimed at urban audiences, but found wider appeal—Proud Mary stars Taraji P. Henson in the title role as a ruthless African American assassin who feels guilty about one particular hit for the Boston mob. After killing his father, Mary actually does little to keep orphaned Danny (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) out of trouble—until she discovers him unconscious in an alley, and then goes after the culprits. That search involves Mary’s boss Benny (Danny Glover), Benny’s feckless son Tom (Billy Brown) and, above all, Mary’s desire to leave behind her badass lifestyle. Working from a simplistic script, director Babak Najafi’s film suffers from poor pacing and lighting that is either too bright or too dark. On a side note: singer/songwriter John Fogerty is adamant that his 1969 hit song with Creedence Clearwater Revival and the title character have nothing in common, writing on Facebook: “I wrote the song about a mythical riverboat, cruising on a mythical river, in a mythical time…. It was obviously a metaphor about leaving painful, stressful things behind for a more tranquil and meaningful life. Far from a story about killing people for money.” A disappointing thriller, this is an optional purchase at best. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Mary's World” (6 min.), “The Beginning of the End” (6 min.), and “If Looks Could Kill” (4 min.), and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for an unremarkable action flick.] (S. Granger)