“B*tch.”

From Anna.

In 1985, nine American CIA agents were killed in Russia at the behest of Director Vassiliev (Eric Godon).  Two years later, Anna (Sasha Luss), a young drug addict in trouble, is recruited by an agent of the KGB, Alex Tchenkov (Luke Evans).  Anna is promised a chance out of her legal troubles and freedom to leave after five years, so with no other options Anna agrees and begins training in a specialized branch under the direction of Olga (Helen Mirren), who is ruthless, focused, demanding, and expects nothing less from Anna.  Over the next several years, Anna’s cover is developed as a model who uses her job to not only travel the world, but also meet, steal from, and kill powerful men.  Desperate to gain her freedom, Anna will do whatever the KGB requires of her, including living in Paris for long stretches of time with a fake girlfriend (Lera Abova).  The more successful Anna becomes, the more she attracts the attention of CIA Agent Lenny Miller (Cillian Murphy) who remembers the Russian-ordered CIA assassinations and begins to connect the pieces in a dangerous game of cat and mouse where Anna has become trapped in the middle.  Anna’s advanced language, weapons, and espionage skills make her a highly desirable asset for both the Americans and the Russians, so the young spy who only wants the freedom to live her life is trapped in the center of an espionage war with no apparent way to escape.

This spy thriller is full of lots of twists and turns, as well as a plethora of amazing fight sequences that take place all over the world.  As a whole, the plot is not terribly complex, but frequent jumps in the timeline create a story that is difficult to follow for viewers that try to keep track of all the specifics in the story’s development.  The cast does quite well in creating characters that are solid, but not quite trustworthy for both the main character and the audience; Luss successfully balances the finesse and power that the lead role requires. Viewers looking for an enjoyable action-packed thriller to keep them guessing until the very end will find just what they’re looking for in Anna.

| Rated: R | Running Time: 119 minutes |Genre: action/mystery/thriller |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 5* of 10|Nudity: 2 of 10|Sexuality: 3 of 10|Gore: 6 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|