Colombiana

Luc Besson knows who to write for strong women. They are tough, fierce but still allowed to be sexy, feminine and able to show emotion. But he is also known for writing films that are high-adrenaline, short on plot and full of action. For Colombiana you just sit back, let go, and allow the emotions take you to that dark place where vengeance, anger and retribution are waiting to be expressed. As a woman there is something cathartic about watching another woman who is indomitable, capable and equal to the task, taking out the low-life domineering men that step into her path. You leave the theater feeling refreshed, a little taller, and basically like a bad-ass.

In Colombiana, the beautiful, sexy Zoe Zaldana plays our fierce, tenacious, feminine hero. As a little girl she grows up in Bogata, Colombia and her father is involved in the drug trade. She is a bright, well-educated and very much loved by her parents. But when she sees them murdered in front of her own eyes and a family friend is now interrogating her about a missing microchip, she shows him that all her education may not have come from Catholic school as she shimmies down the side of a building and escapes the hired assassins.

As per her father’s instructions she uses the microchip as her passport into the United States where she escapes her government escort and seeks out her uncle (Cliff Curtis). He is a thug in Chicago and he takes her in to his home where she learns everything she can about being a cold-blooded killer. When she reaches maturity and the height of her talents she starts picking off the men, one by one, who where involved in her parents death.

Cataleya is named after a rare orchid from Colombia and her father places an orchid necklace around her neck right before he dies. She uses this symbol to mark her kills sending a message to Don Luis that she is coming. Her Tio has trained her well and with her intelligence and focus she is quite lethal, but when her kills start becoming personal her uncle warns her to slow down and step back. But Cataleya has waited 15 years for her vengeance. She is lonely, angry and only has room in her heart for hate until she meets an artist named Danny (Michael Vartan).

Danny knows Cataleya as Jennifer and she shows up at will in his apartment and leaves just as mysteriously. He has grown to love this tender and passionate woman, but he knows nothing about her. His Jennifer is guarded, secretive and disappears whenever he pries. The only proof that he has that she exists at all is the photo he took on his cell phone when she was asleep. A photo that she doesn’t know he has.

Soon, the messages that Cataleya has been leaving for Don Luis have also made her known to the F.B.I. The agent in charge of the case (Lennie James) is starting to connect the dots and Cataleya is running out of time. She must finish her task before Don Luis disappears again. Don Luis is being hidden by the C.I.A. and Cataleya must smoke him out. Columbiana is is fast-paced, explosive and full of action. And Zoe Saldana is one attractive bad-ass.

Rating: First Run Zoe Saldana is one attractive bad-ass assassin.