What would happen if you combined the character John Wick with the throwback Foxy Brown? I know, I am dating myself with the Foxy Brown reference. Anyone who grew up in the 70s should remember Pam Grier and the blaxploitation films of that era. The answer, of course, is Proud Mary. The film starts out with a 70s look, soundtrack included. While it is set in modern day Boston, the film felt a lot like a Pam Grier film. The film had a 3.3 rating on IMDb when I first looked. I just about skipped it. But the trailers looked intriguing and the rating crept up to 5.2. So I gritted my teeth and went to the matinee.
Mary (Taraji P. Henson) is a hitman. As a child, she was taken in my syndicate boss Benny (Danny Glover). He brought her up in the profession alongside his son, Tom (Billy Brown). As awkward as it sounds, the "siblings" apparently had a "thing" at one time. We catch up with Mary during a hit on a bookie. She orphan's the man's son, Danny (Jahi Di'Allo Winston), leaving her with feelings of guilt. There isn't room for guilt in the life of a hitman. But a year later, Mary finds herself befriending the boy, who has become the whipping boy for a rival syndicate boss that everyone calls "Uncle" (Xander Berkeley).
Mary has it made. She drives a friggin' Maserati. She lives in an amazing loft apartment that came off the pages of Better Homes and Gardens. But she starts a war between her family and Uncles when she extracts revenge on behalf of the boy. The act drives a rift in her own family, causing Mary to make some tough choices. If saving the boy means burning the entire enterprise to the ground, she is willing to do it. When Tom abducts the boy, Mary prepares to go out blazing, if that's what it takes. Queue the soundtrack of 70s classics and sit back and watch the fireworks.
The script for Proud Mary just isn't very good. The screenplay was adapted by John Stewart Newman and Christian Swegal, who also originated the story. So I can't really point the finger at the adaptation. The story was contrived and had major plot holes. When the shooting starts, there are also major continuity issues. Unlimited bullets in magazines, slides not locking back, racking the slide on a loaded gun and no round ejecting, etc. While the concept was derivative, it had the opportunity to be a unique take on the hitman genre. But this film whiffed hard.
While Proud Mary had major issues, casting was not one of them. The film had a solid cast. Henson was excellent in Hidden Figures and was nominated for an Oscar for her work in Benjamin Button. As a hardened hitman with a soft spot for children, she was credible. I never questioned her performance, she was hard. She had great chemistry with Winston, who was also solid as a street smart kid. Some of their scenes were forced and a bit hard to believe, but they did have genuine chemistry. I didn't care for Danny Glover's performance. He seemed off. Billy Brown was solid as well. Both physically as well as his performance. He had the look of someone who would get their hands dirty. With a good cast, this film had potential, but the story was just too sloppy.
Proud Mary had an 89 minute runtime, which was more than enough. The pacing was great, but I don't think I could have stomached anything more than an hour and half. The soundtrack was a redeeming factor, although the music felt a bit too prominent at times. Not as subtle as it could have been. Particularly during the development of the backstory. The film earned an R rating for violence. Which is frequent, and mildly graphic. Aside from multiple shootings, there is a torture scene that includes a nail gun. Overall, this film is probably not worth seeing, but if you are intent on seeing it, a teenage audience or above should be safe.
Proud Mary missed its potential. There were several people at the matinee performance we attended yesterday. Several seemed to like. Mostly an older crowd. Folks who know who Foxy Brown is. I overheard one elderly woman saying "that was cute" as we walked out. I think this film will have some appeal to folks who grew up with the 70s films. On its own merit, it is flop. It is contrived, sloppy, weak and derivative. He doesn't tread any new ground. It is an ill-conceived mess. I would not recommend this film unless you are waxing nostalgic for Pam Grier. I'm going to split the difference between the two IMDb ratings I saw. 4/10.
