Organizing the genealogy of the action genre is not an easy task. Some film scholars refer to the first film shown in the world, The Great Train Robbery (1903) as the first action film, while others use the swordplay films popular in the silent film era starring Douglas Fairbanks as the beginning of action. also see Some define Bruce Willis' Die Hard series as the beginning of a full action movie. To this day, the history of the action genre is not fully aligned.
The same is true for 'heroine action' movies with women as the main characters. Female action movies appeared later than male-centered action movies, and their genealogy is a bit messy as they started with female heroes who worked in different genres. For example, there are records that consider Ripley in Alien (1979) as the beginning of a female action hero, while some scholars read Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill as the birthplace of a full-fledged female action movie.
The way to select the most effective and reasonable 'sol' from various viewpoints is based on which movie (or series) has become a trend or phenomenon. In that sense, 2000 is a significant year for the female action genre. In 2000 alone, <Resident Evil>, in which Milla Jovovich plays an active role as a female warrior fighting zombies, <Charles Angel> with female agents as the main characters, and <Tomb Raider>, in which Angelina Jolie roams the jungle, were released. The franchise signaled. All of these films have been successful at the box office, continuing as a series to this day or reborn as remakes.
If we refer to these films as a genre (with women as the subject of 'action'), the female action genre has shown remarkable growth both in quantity and quality over the past 20 years. Since the 2000s, the number of female action films produced has been steadily increasing, and the intensity of the action has increased noticeably (remember Charlize Theron's one-take action scene in Atomic Blonde!). Another trend worth noting is that films with female killers as the main characters are predominant. <Kate> (2021), <Anna> (2019), and <Red Sparrow> (2018) all feature a skilled female killer as the main character, and show the process of tracking down the conspiracy behind their mission.
The movie <Killing Kind: The Killer's Disciple>, which was recently released on Netflix, is also a movie that was born in the trend of female killer movies. The movie follows the process of 'Anna', who became the disciple of the killer 'Moody', to avenge her teacher.
'Anna' (Maggie Q) loses her parents in a brutal way to a Vietnamese gang. A belated killer, 'Moody' (Samuel L. Jackson), arrives at her scene and decides to help Anna, who has nowhere else to go. Moody recognizes her natural talent as she sees Anna once mastered with her eyes and fully assembled with her guns to deal with the rest of the gang. Since then, he has raised her to be her best killer. One day, Anna witnesses the death of her only family member, Moody, and learns that his death has to do with the last mission he has done. The closer she gets to the case, the more she learns that Anna and she are behind a huge force. Her mysterious man 'Rembrandt' (Michael Keaton) appears in front of her Anna, and she is curious about her. However, in her unexpected place, he meets her Anna again as an enemy, and blocks her revenge.
<Killing Kind: The Killer's Disciple> (hereinafter referred to as 'Killing Kind') is produced by Martin Campbell, who specializes in action genres such as <007 Casino Royale> (2006), <The Foreigner> (2018), and <Edge of Darkness> (2010). This is the first female-led action film he has directed. It is also the second action film starring an Asian actor after <The Foreigner>. As a director who devoted most of his career to the action genre, the story structure of <Killing Kind> is 'skilled'. In the movie, Anna and Moody go beyond the employer-employee relationship and are seen as a 'daughter-in-law' relationship. Explain. Therefore, revenge at the risk of Anna's life does not put any strain on the story's development.
However, the relationship between 'Anna' and 'Moody', which can be said to be the most important setting in this film, must be said to be banal rather than savvy. As in the aforementioned female killer films, such as <Kate> or <Nikita> (even <Leon> if you consider Matilda as the main character), a 'similar father' character saves a girl without parents and turns them into killers like herself. The setting of nurture has been constantly repeated and reproduced for the past 20 years. The strong 'femininity' shown by the protagonists of these films was created and nurtured by a male master. What makes <Killing Kind> different from her previous works is the fact that Anna has an interdependent relationship with her father, Rembrandt, in addition to her absolute relationship with Moody. Rembrandt, who she encounters as enemies, constantly courts her Anna, recognizing the situation in which they must deal with each other. Anna also falls in love with Rembrandt while she fights for her life.
As a result, <Killing Kind> is heavily armed with an exotic background in Vietnam and quite impressive action sequences, but it does not deviate from the narrative frame in which Anna is subordinated (moody) or almost subordinated (Rembrandt) to two men. Starting with <Nikita> (drama version), <Mission Impossible 3> (2006), <Die Hard 4.0> (2006), <Divergent> (2014), <Fantasy Island> (2020), etc. have been in the action genre for a long time. It's even more disappointing that Catfish Q, who has been active, took on the lead role. In the film, Maggie Q shows a tough and sober side that is rare for her Asian female character, but she also symbolizes the key figures in the patriarchal relationship linked by the 'like father' and 'like husband' characters.
Nevertheless, <Killing Kind> is a work worth noting. Whereas in the past Hollywood movies used the Asian background to the level of exploitation or exploration with a white protagonist, this film adds 'fairness' by setting a Vietnamese girl as the main character beyond the background. This is true even if the scope is narrowed down to the female action genre. If Cambodia in <Tomb Raider> and Japan in <Kate> are reproduced as fantasy places where strangers, ‘Lara’ and ‘Kate’ roam, Anna’s Vietnam is the space to which she belongs and the practical space to restore her identity. will be. This is also a small step forward for this film considering the number of Asian (action) films that may be made in the future.
