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Opening nationwide this weekend is Zoe Saldana’s turn as vengeful action hero, Cataleya Restrepo, in “Colombiana.” As a child, she witnesses her parents being gunned down by mobsters and grows up to become a killer-for-hire.  The assassin blazes a trail that would eventually lead her to the men who murdered her mother and father.

The premise isn’t a particularly novel one, with the main attraction being Saldana assuming a role that’s normally restricted to white men. Your appreciation for the movie will depend on whether you believe her as this character because she is the entire movie.

I saw it earlier this week. For the most part, I bought her performance.However, it’s the other aspects of the movie that left me cold. The script is thin, predictable, full of cheesy lines, and all the subtlety of a hammer to the head. But it’ll probably sell well to its target audience — young men. Heavy on action and sexuality, as Saldana is paraded in revealing attire, playing up her physical appeal.  She tackles bad guys utilizing all manners of weaponry, as well as her fists. Like I said, it’s light on the logic and novelty.

It will likely be dismissed as a brainless, PG-13 action summer movie. The good thing is that the film doesn’t try to be anything more than what it is. It’s certainly not a boring movie. But those looking for something more adult and substantive, will be sorely disappointed and should probably wait to catch this as a rental instead.

Kudos to Zoe in what may be a film that we look back to in a few years as a career marker of some sort. This should certainly help improve her international presence and appeal, which should (hopefully) lead to a wide variety of work. There was talk of a sequel to Colombiana. I certainly hope not. Though my opinion means nothing, especially if the film is a financial success. A Transporter-like franchise for Zoe might be brewing here, who knows.

But don’t take my word for it; see it for yourselves when it opens in theaters this weekend.

Tambay Obenson is editor of Shadow And Act on the indieWIRE Network at blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact

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