Wildcat Movie Review – Kate Beckinsale and Co. Perform an Average Guy Ritchie Tribute Act

If you have watched the One Shot series, starring Scott Adkins, you know that director James Nunn understands how to shoot action. He demonstrates it in the Guy Ritchie-esque Wildcat too, unleashing a fast and furious British crime caper accelerating from one fight scene to the next.

The major problem is this film isn’t written by Ritchie; it’s penned by Dominic Burns. The script is a nice try at imitating Ritchie’s signature style, but it lacks the same level of snark and bite that the filmmaker is celebrated for. It’s like watching a tribute act cover the classics; it’s okay but never quite the same experience as watching the real band on stage.

It’s an age-old story, isn’t it? Former Special Ops operative Ada Williams (Kate Beckinsale) walks away from the dangerous life to look after her daughter, Charlotte (Isabelle Moxley). Thanks to her brother Edward’s (Rasmus Hardiker) dirty dealing with the mob, though, the goons kidnap Charlotte and give Ada until the morning to repay Edward’s exorbitant debts – or else! Ada assembles her old squad, including former love interest Roman (Lewis Tan), to take on London’s underworld and rescue her daughter, as the clock ticks away.

This is a trope-tapered tale as old as time, and it isn’t too difficult to predict how it turns out, but Nunn covers for the lack of originality by keeping the action moving at a breakneck speed. From gluttonous gunfights to compact skirmishes and knockdown dragouts, Antoni Davidov and the stunt team orchestrate a marvelous melee of mayhem that lets the main cast get their knuckles bruised and boots dirtied. You can call Wildcat many things, but boring isn’t one of them.

Much like any Ritchie film – think Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels – there’s an extensive cast of characters who pop in and out of the film at various points; some more important than others, but they all have a role to play here. Having said that, there’s something there between the core four of Ada, Roman, Edward, and Curtis (Bailey Patrick). Their clashing personalities allow for natural conflict and banter to flow, but the actors’ commitment to these characters transform them into a group of misfits whom you want to get behind and root for.

This is Ada’s story, though, and Kate Beckinsale’s name is front and center of Wildcat‘s poster. As she’s demonstrated in Underworld and countless other motion pictures over the past two decades, she’s an action star and knows how to carry a movie. There’s no surprises here. Lewis Tan slides in, coolly and effortlessly into the supporting role of Roman. How many times does Tan need to prove himself for Hollywood to fully pull the trigger on him now? He deserves more opportunities to lead franchises (hello, Double Dragon?), and it’ll be a shame if the studios fail to capitalize on both his charisma and martial arts ability while he’s in the prime of his career.

As mentioned before, where Wildcat falls short is in the script department. It’s never quite as funny, nor as high-stakes adrenaline, as it paints itself to be. Again, it’s a Guy Ritchie story without Guy Ritchie’s involvement, and it’s glaringly obvious that it suffers because of this important missing ingredient. A better script – or Ritchie’s name in the credits – and we would be talking about Wildcat being one of the best action movies of the year. Instead, it’s simply a serviceable film that’s best watched at home rather than on the big screen.

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