I honestly have no idea how I stumbled on this film on my list but since it had a female lead I had to click the play button. Its year of production of course was discouraging but I still gave it a go. Fortunately, I wasn’t really disappointed.
Directed by Joe Lynch, this film a gory action thriller that combines gritty violence with moments of dark humor.
Synopsis
The film follows Everly (played by Salma Hayek), a woman forced into sex slavery by a brutal crime boss, Taiko. After four years of captivity, she decides to fight back. She arms herself with a variety of weapons and is also driven by the desire to protect her daughter. She battles wave after wave of assassins sent by Taiko, all while trapped in her apartment.
The whole story unfolds over the course of a single night, as Everly faces mercenaries, sadistic killers and personal demons in her quest to free herself and the two people she loves.
Review and Personal Criticism
I’m not mincing words when I say the film’s greatest strength is its lead, Salma Hayek. She brings a mix of vulnerability and ferocity to Everly’s character as well as convincingly portraying a woman driven to desperation yet determined to survive. Her physical performance is impressive, it helps carry the film through its more chaotic moments.
The director, on the other hand, makes an interesting stylistic choice by confining most of the action to a single apartment. This gives the film a unique sense of intimacy but also limits the scope, which can occasionally make the pacing feel repetitive. The cinematography does a decent job of keeping things visually engaging despite the limited setting, with clever use of lighting and set design to maintain tension.
However, Everly suffers from tonal inconsistency. The film frequently oscillates between brutal violence and quirky humor, which can be jarring for viewers. Some moments, particularly involving the assassins and their eccentric methods, feel overly cartoonish and undermine the darker, more serious aspects of the story. Also, while the action scenes are fast paced and often thrilling, they lean too heavily on the style over coherence, making it difficult to follow the action in certain sequences.
The emotional depth of the story is also lacking; Everly’s motivations are clear but the film doesn’t spend enough time developing her relationship with her daughter or exploring her trauma, which could have added more weight to the narrative.
The film is a bold, stylish action film that actually thrives on its relentless pace and Salma Hayek’s commanding presence but it’s extremely gory. It may be far from perfect, but offers enough thrills and bloody action to satisfy you if you’re a fan of the genre. Just overlook the tonal inconsistencies and occasional narrative flaws and gore.
I’d leave it with a rating of 3.5/5