WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Don’t we all love to be told what to do? Taking advice as to how things should be done seems to end up easier heard than truly applied, which can lead to either high amount of success–or a troubling amount of potentially embarrassing defeat. Is it safe to surmise that sometimes, maybe we really just need to listen and follow. It is a rigorous and disciplined regimen that assassin-in-training Kaylee (Tarah Paige) endures under the tutelage of her mentor Pete (Robert Picardo). Having learned all she needs to know to carry out her craft, word comes down from Kaylee and Pete’s handler, Miranda (Marina Sirtis), that a mission is at hand.
Ready to tackle this first test of her abilities, Kaylee is provided the parameters of her operation and the intended target to eliminate, the notorious criminal named Blanco (Rico E. Anderson). Pete advises Kaylee from the start of how things should go, but deciding that her own notions of the assignment’s facets are somehow paramount, she heads off-book and creates her own means of attaining the expected goals, much to Pete and Miranda’s consternation. Still managing to arrive at the target destination where Blanco and his right hand Andres (Luis Carazo) are, the question remains–can Kaylee actually pull off her first kill?
Next, my Mind:
It’s not that often (if ever to date?) this reviewer might actually find a reason to utilize the term “cute” when it comes to assessing a film, but with this 15-minute short from director Russell Emanuel and writer Paul Hickman, it actually fits. Despite what one would think would be a deadly serious tone given the thematic elements of assassins and, well, assassinations, there is an intentional and well-thought out whimsical feel intertwined amidst the leg kicks and spraying bullets. Taking the concept of a novice killer and the initial overconfidence that she hurtles into her first mission with, all while not truly heeding the advice of her teacher or handler of course, it opens things up for a simple, fun, and witty series of events to occur that make the proceedings more comedic and light-hearted, again in spite of the overall narrative being presented. The journey shown as our intrepid lead character travels from her training facility to the target location, while picking up needed accessories along the way, is alone quite hilarious. Once events come to their conclusion, even this is pulled off with a finale that is an amalgamation of action and humor. Visually the film is perfectly crisp and smoothly shot, very professional in appearance for a small indie effort, which I feel is noteworthy and further proof perhaps that one doesn’t need to have a $100 million budget to create entertaining cinema.
Paige really is a total trip in her role as Kaylee, an apprentice “prosecutor” who more than shows she’s got the physical chops and prep to handle whatever jobs come her way. However, once that inaugural opportunity arises, it becomes clear she has her own bit of a stubborn streak in how she feels things should be executed overall. Even with the mildly annoyed attitudes present from Pete and Miranda, Kaylee goes about her ordered undertaking as if it might be any other normal day, which leads to some rather silly, though ultimately minor, bad choices that could cost her the “prize” or worse. Watching Paige navigate these more jovial nuances while also displaying some admirable physicality is totally delightful and engaging, much to the actress’s credit. Veterans Picardo and Sirtis of “Star Trek” universe fame get wonderful chances to ham it up here as Paige’s mentor Pete and handler Miranda. Pete’s completely serious demeanor and focused drive serves almost serves as a foil to Kaylee’s more relaxed bravado, as his whole mind is only on seeing his student succeed in her first kill. Even as she goes mildly helter-skelter in her efforts, Pete remains steadfast, if not a tad vexed by his wayward pupil, and Picardo always excels with this style of character, here being no exception. Sirtis’ Miranda, another straight-laced, no-nonsense individual who also just wants the operation to run fluidly, finds initial difficulty containing her own annoyance at Kaylee’s antics, and Sirtis portrays this with deft, subtle, and amusing grace.
Primary supporting turns are present here from Anderson as drug lord and overall weasely cad Blanco, who is the unwitting target Kaylee has been directed towards, plus Carazo as Andres, Blanco’s right hand/business partner who seems just as slimy as his boss and has no idea he might soon be unemployed–or dead. Additional support is found through Reka Rene and Katherine Roberts as Blanco and Andres’ girls Dawn and Tiffany, Sasha Travis as the club venue’s lounge singer, Jennifer Durst as the club bartender Jessica, and Dan D.W. McCann as Blanco’s bodyguard among others. In total, “The Assassin’s Apprentice” benefits from passion, heart, solid writing, an apropos cast, and just being willing to provide straight-forward, uncomplicated laughs, action, and good old fashioned enjoyment.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
