DVD review: Kite (3 out of 5)

Kite, a tough thriller, has another couple of actors I reckon we will see a lot more of.

India Eisley (who appeared in 2012’s Underworld: Awakening) plays Sawa, the red-wigged star of this movie, while Callan McAuliffe (the young Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby) plays a mysterious young stranger.

Both are very good - and they need to be as the plot rests mostly on their shoulders.

However, they do have Samuel L Jackson as a co-star, bringing all his undisputed talent to the table.

Kite is set in (yet another) dystopian future - film-makers really don’t have much hope for civilisation, do they?

The world has seen a massive financial crash, leaving a stale stagnant society where people hussle to survive.

Sawa is a teenager, hooked on a drug that leaves her with few memories.

After her parents were murdered years before, she was brought up by her policeman dad’s friend Inspector Karl Aker (Jackson).

He has trained her to be an assassin, killing members of a group dealing in snatching children for various unpleasant clients.

Her ultimate aim is to bump off the group’s leader, known as The Emir, whom she believes destroyed her life.

However, when a young man, Oburi (McAuliffe), helps her out of a scrape everything starts to unravel.

Kite is based on the 1998 anime The Kite which was banned in some countries because of its extreme violence and eroticism.

This live action version has been toned down but still has plenty of blood and guts flying about.

Director Ralph Ziman keeps the action flowing at a good pace but also has the confidence in his young stars, allowing them time and space to show emotion.

There’s a real feeling of desolation and the fag-end of society, cars are grimy, clothes are dull and torn and even the sun doesn’t really shine much.

The only time this changes is when Sawa mixes with the ‘haves’ as opposed to the ‘have nots’.

However, when this happens the main colour is usually blood red.

This is a good enough action thriller but it has few surprises as far as storyline is concerned.

Its strength is in its cast and I’ll be keeping an eye out for Eisley and McAuliffe to see how their careers pan out.

Kite is available on DVD & Blu-ray