139. Proud Mary; movie review

PROUD MARY
Cert 15
89 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, injury detail, threat

I am a keen advocate for diversity in Hollywood but, surely, the least studios can do is make sure movies with female leads and all-black casts are good.
Sadly, Proud Mary inadvertently plays to every stereotype about black people that racist whites can conjure.
Thus, debate is replaced by gunshot, children come from broken homes and loyalty is a thing in which parents' rather than their offspring, believe.
In addition, its pitifully shallow plot is complemented by crass dialogue which isn't even well acted.
I am afraid, Mary has no reason to be proud.
Taraji P. Henson plays the title character who is a modern-day gunslinger for a crime lord (a shockingly miscast Danny Glover).
Meanwhile, she is the reluctant minder for a young boy (Jahi Di'Allo Winston) who is under threat from the Russian mob.
Indeed, the movie then goes on to be little more than a long drawn-out shoot-out, involving both or either Russians and African Americans.
Winston adds a modicum of charm but even his naive bravado wears off after a while, leaving the audience with nothing except its interminable violence.
I must admit I am done with shoot-outs in which one side can't hit a barn-door with a Kalashnikov and the other seems to be able to strike a pin-head with a pea shooter.
Do the baddies suddenly develop Delerium tremens in the face of good guys? Who knows and in the case of Babak Najafi's Proud Mary's, who cares?
Ah, Najafi. Wasn't he the director of the ludicrous London Has Fallen in which action dominated logic and character exploration?
He has literally stuck to his guns in Proud Mary.
Well, at least it has a decent soundtrack...

Reasons to watch: It tries hard to push boundaries
Reasons to avoid: Its charmless violence

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 4/10

The big question - Don't a black cast deserve better?

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