“From the director of Rambo: Last Blood” is not quite the ringing endorsement some might assume. Director Adrian Grunberg built an impressive résumé as an assistant director on films such as Traffic, Collateral Damage, Man on Fire, Jarhead, and Apocalypto. His directorial debut, Get the Gringo, was a solid, if ultimately forgettable, first effort behind the camera.
When Protector arrived in theaters this past March, it was met with a harsh critical response. However, the relatively small audience that turned out to see it appeared to have a much more favorable reaction. With the film arriving on Blu-ray this week, I decided to see what all the fuss was about.
If you watched the trailer for Milla Jovovich’s latest action thriller and thought it looked like a variation on Taken, you would not be far off. Jovovich stars as Nikki Halsted, a highly trained soldier who has spent much of her life on the battlefield. Like Liam Neeson’s iconic character, Nikki possesses a very particular set of skills. Her sixteen-year-old daughter, Chloe (Isabel Myers), has spent much of her life without her mother at home, as Nikki has consistently prioritized military service. That does not mean she loves her daughter any less; it is simply the life she has chosen.
When Chloe is kidnapped by a sex-trafficking syndicate, Nikki launches an all-out assault to find her daughter and eliminate anyone who stands in her way. As expected, she methodically works her way up the criminal hierarchy, leaving a trail of destruction behind her.
Where Protector distinguishes itself from Taken is in its action sequences. The film delivers a more aggressive, high-octane style of action, and Jovovich proves to be a more convincing physical presence than Neeson ever was. Having built much of her career on action roles, she handles the film’s demanding fight scenes with ease. More importantly, she brings an emotional depth to Nikki that elevates the material. This is not simply a story fueled by revenge; it is about a mother desperately trying to save her daughter from a horrific fate. Alongside Nikki’s rage, Jovovich effectively conveys grief, fear, and desperation.
