I may be late, but I've been really enjoying watching Lionness on Paramount+. Taylor Sheridan, who created the show and wrote the Sicario films, is an exceptional writer and filmmaker, but the star of the series is Zoe Saldaña, another extremely talented actress who can do action.
Before the Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy films, there's a movie starring Zoe Saldaña that seems to have been overlooked and forgotten: Colombiana, which was co-written and produced by Luc Besson. The French film is about a little Colombian girl who, after witnessing her parents being assassinated, grows up to be an assassin, kind of like a Latin version of Léon: The Professional. Yeah, the revenge premise is nothing new, but Colombiana is grounded with deep characters and has top-notch action.
Cliff Curtis, another one of my favorite actors, plays the mentor in Colombiana. Interestingly, he's Māori, but he has had memorable roles as a Latino in Training Day and Colombiana. Incidentally, Cliff Curtis would reunite with Zoe Saldaña many years later in Avatar: The Way of Water.
One thing that always stuck with me about Colombiana is the intense final fight scene, which takes place in a home bathroom. The choreography and cinematography within close quarters and editing are amazing, very John Wick-ish but a bit faster, and Colombiana came out a few years before John Wick.
Columbiana is one of the greatest revenge action flicks. A while ago, someone on Threads asked about female-led action movies that are actually good. Luc Besson's films have often had strong female characters, and Colombiana should definitely be high on the must-watch list.
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