AVA

US, 2020, 96 minutes, Colour.
Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Colin Farrell, Common, Geena Davis, Jess Weixler, Ioan Gruffud, Diana Silvers, Joan Chen.
Directed by Tate Taylor.

Ava is an espionage thriller. It shows the last days of an assassin. She is played with vigour by Jessica Chastain. The director is Tate Taylor (who worked with Jessica Chastain in an entirely different mode in the Oscar-winning The Help).

The audience is introduced to Ava as a chauffeur in Paris, picking up a businessman (Ioan Gruffud) at an airport, leading him on, then confronting him, killing him. It emerges that she has a control, played by John Malkovich. However, there is surveillance on her during the initial operation and she is sent to Saudi Arabia to assassinate a German general. This involves glamour, infiltration of a social, wrong information being given about her, the assassination attempt and it going awry, the guards pursuing her.

Jessica Chastain shows that she can be vehicle of met any mail agent in terms of infiltration and defence and attack skills.

In talking with her control, they both realise that authorities are wanting to terminate her. It emerges that the authority wanting this is played by Colin Farrell, with his daughter doing the surveillance.

There is quite a different tone when Ava returns to her city of Boston after eight years, wanting to reconcile with her family, especially her strong-mind mother, played by Geena Davis. There are also emotional complications with her younger sister, Jess Weixler, and restoring the breakdown of her former relationship with her boyfriend, Common whom she abandoned, problems with alcohol and drugs, and join the military eight years earlier. Have no idea of her secret career.

She is pursued in Boston but turns the tables on her pursuer. There is conflict between the two authorities with her controller’s death, and her being more on the alert, paying tickets for her family to disappear from Boston.

She is still being pursued in the streets at the end of the film, leaving the audience to speculate whether she will be eliminated or whether she will turn the tables on her pursuer.

1. The last days of an assassin? Portrait of Ava?

2. The Paris locations, airport, the highways? Saudi Arabia? The Atlantic coast? British Columbia? The variety of locations in Boston? Musical score?

3. The tone of the opening, Ava as a chauffeur, meeting the guest, wanting to know his guilt, provocative advance, killing him? Her conversation being overheard – later revealed as Simon’s daughter?

4. The background, growing up in family, the absent father, the bond with her mother, with her sister? Michael and the possibility of marrying? Drinking, her drug addiction, leaving, absence for eight years, military, Black Ops operations? Overcoming her addiction, her going to AA meetings and telling her story? The temptations to drink?

5. The new mission, Saudi Arabia, the German general, her disguise, infiltration, the injection, the wrong information and her being found out, the pursuit, her fights, skills, shootings? Her escape?

6. Duke as her superior, mentor, helping her recover, giving her missions? Meeting with him fishing in the Atlantic? The discussion, realisation that she had been set up?

7. The return to Boston, the encounter with her family, seeing her sister play at the club, the families puzzle at the absence, her mother in hospital, the visits, the mother’s personality, the presence of Michael, the memory of the past, his bitterness, his relationship with Judy, her being pregnant? Her trying to become part of the family again?

8. Alain, the French background, his being asked to track her, her awareness, the jogging, the confrontation, the fight, her escape, in the pond, emerging and killing him?

9. Duke, going to visit Simon, his superior? Simon and his wanting to eliminate Ava? His reliance on Camille? The discussions, the responsibilities? Ultimately Duke confronting Simon, the fight, Duke wounded, Simon filming him, falling into the water?

10. Ava, fighting her demons, her approach to Michael? Her visit to the gambling club, confronting the proprietor, Michael and his debts? Ava returning, fighting the guard, causing mayhem in the club, violent confrontation, the proprietor, dominating her? The repayment?

11. Ava and her fear for her family, giving the money, warning them to get out of the US because they would be pursued?

12. Ava, walking the street, Camille following her – and the end left to the audience as to whether Camille would kill her or Ava would emerge?