The Courier, in this case, is nothing like your usual delivery person. This kick-ass woman does deliver packages, but this highly-trained ex-special ops soldier is also a lethal killing machine. So, when she realizes that the package she has just delivered is a cyanide gas bomb and that she is being set-up, she decides to turn the options in her favour.
There's one major problem though. The poisonous gas was sent to kill a key witness who was just about to spill the beans over a live stream. Now, this witness is the key to taking down America's most powerful criminal overlord. This guy can pull many strings and will stop at nothing to kill the witness who could put him away forever. This includes paid off links to the CIA and a small army ready to finish the job. However, The Courier now has the trump card, the witness. Stuck in an underground car park with no weapons and facing unbelievable odds, how long can she stay alive? More importantly, can she keep the witness alive and get him to freedom to give his evidence?
It's fair to say, that The Courier is an action movie with a very strong female character. In fact, she is incredible and works really well as a representation of powerful women leads in action films. For me, this was a strong point for The Courier and certainly sets it apart from the usual format that we get. Hat's off to the Director/Co-Writer Zackary Adler, who changed the original script from having the usual male lead. Now, Adler has a back catalog of British gangster films and The Courier was somewhat of a fresh direction for him. Sadly, it shows, whilst the camera work is ok and the outrageously brutal fight scenes are inventive, they lack the more polished result that most modern action flicks as the John Wick films achieve.
At first glance, what stands out with The Courier is that the trailer is very impressive. Yes, it looks like it's none stop crazy action. But, wait a minute, it's not just that. The lead cast members look incredible. Gary Oldman playing the bad guy can't be bad. Especially in the same year that he has won an Oscar for best actor. But, don't hold your breath. Oldman is great but this performance is not anything like his performance in Darkest Hour. He does great with what time he has but this is a very pedestrian performance for him and looks like an easy paycheck.
But, to be fair to Oldman The Courier is all about the powerful woman who refuses to give her name – she is The Courier. So, who is it that takes up this kick-ass role? Well, the camera absorbing model and ex-bond girl Olga Kurylenko, that's who. And she is outstanding. She has an impressive back catalog of action flicks, so is no stranger to it. Most of the other cast members are good but are very much in the fringes or killed. But, there are two other standouts. Firstly, Amit Shah is great as the witness ‘Nick Much'. Then, there's William Moseley playing ‘CIA Agent Bryant'. This guy's performance is outrageous, just manic madness that is either a display of how bad he is at these roles or it's actually touching genius. See what you think?
Ok, let's cut to the chase. Is The Courier any good? Well, let's just say, don't expect to be blown away by this film. It does feel as though most of the film is in a car park to save money. In fact, there are lots of elements that make The Courier feel low budget. Maybe all the budget was spent on Gary Oldman?
However, I really enjoyed it. The Courier is exactly what it sets out to be. All-out action, with a powerful female lead and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Plus it is just 99 minutes long, so when you are trawling through trying to find something to watch that does not use up half of your life, The Courier is a great choice. Ignore all the negative reviews and watch it for what it is – enjoy.
