There’s some CGI in Ava. Not a lot, but enough, mind you, to be the proverbial fly in the ointment (especially a rather conspicuous ‘smoke’ grenade). I’m going to chalk this up to laziness as opposed to dumbness, because this film — which is clever enough to paraphrase “The Charge of the Light Brigade” and modest enough to not name-drop Tennyson — is overall a well-crafted film with strong performances and an engaging storyline. The CGI missteps are a minor flaw in an otherwise compelling movie.
Moreover, any movie starring John Malkovich, Colin Farrell, Geena Davis, Common, and particularly Jessica Chastain (has there been another actress so adept at conveying intelligence since Jodie Foster?) is bound to have a high IQ.
Sometimes being smart is about making choices that should be obvious but not always are. For example, when Farrell warns Chastain, “If I see you again, I will kill you,” the film wisely decides against having her come back with “Not if I see you first” — it’s enough that she’s thinking it, as the events that immediately follow will make abundantly clear.
Another sage move is how Chastain’s character’s crisis of conscience is handled. For once, we are spared the professional assassin who draws the line at children, as if killing adults exclusively were somehow a noble ethos.
Now, I don’t know whether the titular Ava would or would not hurt a child, but my point is that the movie doesn’t resort to such a hackneyed situation as a source for the protagonist’s inner turmoil.
Instead, the film delves into the complexities of her character, showcasing the internal struggle she faces with each assignment. This adds depth and nuance to her portrayal, making her more than just a one-dimensional killer and challenging the typical depiction of assassins in film. It allows for a deeper exploration of morality and ethics within the narrative.
She understands that killing is wrong, but she hopes against hope that two wrongs do after all make a right — that is, of course, assuming that her “subjects” have done something to deserve being “closed,” which we have now way of knowing (even if she asks them straight up, which she does, before killing them, because what are the odds they would own up to it anyway?).
All things considered, Ava and the members of the shadowy organization that she works for (and that seems to consist solely of her, Malkovich, Farrell, and Farrell’s daughter) are the only ones we are certain that the world would be a better place without, and the film doesn’t let them off the hook.
Even Ava can’t just walk away — as someone warns her, “You can get out now. It’s tomorrow, and the next day and the day after that you need to worry about.”