Elektra review

Jennifer Garner, the ass-kicking, metamorphosing star of the TV show Alias has shown herself to be a sexy, funny and smart action actress. Unfortunately the role of the steely assassin Elektra fails to take full advantage of these attributes. Instead, she's confined to maintaining a pout and athletically scything her way through her enemies.

As a martial arts expert clad in a fetching red bodice and nimbly wielding deadly sais, Elektra should pose a formidable proposition. But female killers in movies are not subject to quite the same rules as their male counterparts. The colder and more aloof men are, the more they are admired. Those same traits in women aren't seen as quite as appealing and in Elektra they are considered failings. Instead of taking the opportunity to forge an indelible, original heroine, the film portrays the comic book character as a woman whose biggest enemy turns out to be her own emotional vulnerability.

Much of the film centers on Elektra's efforts to steer a young girl Abby (Kirsten Prout) from taking the same path in life as her own. To imbue Elektra, one of the few good things to emerge from the lackluster Daredevil, with some compassion is understandable, but to make her almost apologetic for her way of life hardly inspires allegiance, a prime necessity for what is a hoped for franchise.

Fans of the comic book will at least be glad to see her back in her trademark red after she found herself decked out in less familiar black in Daredevil. Hollywood has never been known to let someone's apparent death stand in the way of a good business opportunity, so, having been left for dead at the end of Daredevil, Elektra has made a miraculous recovery and is busy doing what she does best: killing people.

After opening with her deftly dispatching an expectant victim, we get a glimpse of Elektra,s ordered, solitary and troubled life. She is haunted by flashbacks of her mother,s murder and being pushed too far by her demanding father. Looking for a much-needed rest, she is tempted back to work by her agent McCabe (Colin Cunningham) with the offer of a huge payday. Renting a beautiful lakeside home, she befriends the neighbours, the teenage Abby and her father Mark (Goran Visnjic), with whom she shares more an understanding than a relationship. When she learns that her new friends are the targets of her next contract, she suddenly develops a conscience. "You're crashing E," observes McCabe

After switching from Mark and Abby's executor to saviour, Elektra finds herself confronting the ruthless Asian syndicate known as The Hand and her old nemesis Kirigi (Will Yun Lee) and his team who all possess special powers, like those of Tattoo whose painted body comes to life.

Director Rob Bowman has done a competent if uninspired job but, for all Garner's appeal, it's ultimately not enough. The film's overall dark look hints at a more subversive story, but when tamed to acquire a more commercial rating, there is little room for real edge. Even Terence Stamp's turn as Elektra's blind sensei Stick is unable to provide anything more than window dressing.

Kevin Murphy