Big Picture Big Sound

In terms of movies August has long been considered a dumping ground, where studios unload titles they know don't have much of a chance to stand up against summer blockbusters. Sure, the film industry has gone through a seismic change this past year and all norms are out the window in terms of theatrical exhibition, but "The Protégé" feels like a movie the studio needed to get off their shelves. August usually produces at least one action-thriller too small to attract the masses, but offering enough cheap thrills to satisfy action junkies. For this year, Martin Campbell's new movie might be exactly that.

Anna (Maggie Q) is a trained assassin who was taken in by Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) when she was a young child, and he taught her everything about his business. She grew up to become a skilled contract killer, taking people out with admirable ease. Even when Anna finds herself backed into a corner, she can quickly examine a room and somehow form a plan to make sure those who put her in that corner end up on the floor.

Anna's world is turned upside down when Moody is killed, and she sets out on a mission to find those who killed him She crosses paths with Rembrandt (Michael Keaton), a charismatic guy who expresses an interest in her, but there's more to his agenda than she initially believes.

There are plenty of well-staged action scenes in "The Protégé," and the movie takes full advantage of its R rating. Maggie Q commands every action scene, but despite that "The Protégé" just feels like a bland, warmed-over version of many movies that proceeded it. Even when some of the action scenes pull you in, others go on much longer than necessary, interspersed with moments of levity that fall flat. Campbell's film is uneven, but may entertain action devotees.