Kate

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Cedric Nicolas-Troyan directs. Lyle Vincent behind the camera. Nathan Barr scores. Sandra Montiel cuts. Produced in United States of America, Japan. Dialogue in English, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released 5 years ago.
• 2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.
• 3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Japan.
• 4Directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, shot by Lyle Vincent. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 5Original score by Nathan Barr. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 6Editor Sandra Montiel shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 7Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Miku Martineau and Woody Harrelson carry the top of the cast.
• 8Marketing tagline: "There's no time for mercy.".
• 9IMDB entry: tt7737528 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 10Classified under 8 themes, including "japan", "assassin", "radiation", "poison".

The technical file

Cinematography

Lyle Vincent

Original score

Nathan Barr

Editing

Sandra Montiel

Production design

Dominic Watkins

Costume design

Audrey Fisher

Makeup / hair

Lauren Thomas

VFX supervisor

Björn Mayer

Sound

Gael Nicolas

Stunt coordinator

Jonathan Eusebio

Runtime

106 min · 1h 46m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$25,000,000

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

Kate (2021) ↗

Rotten Tomatoes

45% 🥫 Rotten

Metacritic

47/100

IMDB rating

6.3/10 · 76,444 votes

MPAA

R

Also by

Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

• 
  360° Reportage

  1999 · ★ 7.5
• 
  Furies

  2024 · ★ 7.1
• 
  The Huntsman: Winter's War

  2016 · ★ 6.3
• 
  Carrot vs. Ninja

  2011

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  KATE | Official Trailer | Netflix

  Trailer · Official
• 

  ▶
  KATE | Official Date Announcement | Netflix

  Teaser · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• StarsNtheDarkness2021-10-03
  ★ 8/10

  I found this to be an incredibly fun and beautifully shot film. Who cares if it’s John Wick-esque? It’s not like he invented the genre. Mary Elizabeth Winsted was freakin’ awesome and I totally wanted to be her. The colors, the lights, the fight scenes? Excellent. Sometimes a movie is just supposed to be entertaining…it doesn’t have to change the course of cinema history to be good. I mean, people give this 2-stars and then rave over Malignant? Take that with a grain of salt. On second thought, just take the shaker.

  Read full review ↓
• jw2021-10-06
  ★ 7/10

  The keywords already tell you the story outline, so I skip that. Most of this movie is fan service - a lot of (female) Max Payne (the real one, not the awkward 2008 dud); of Agent 47, a bit of John Wick, a nod to Leon ("all of them")... not too a complicated story, well-choreographed and filmed violence, nice modern Japanese atmosphere: I got what I expected, a satisfying action flick. And that's probably what Netflix ordered for us, "Because You Watched". But what made it really worth seeing this movie for me were a couple of minutes of actual acting. Winstead is great at her Terminator/MaxPayne/Leon/Wick/McClane-Show, and when she's allowed to act, she proves worth being the lead. But when Jun Kunimura turns up, he expresses so much in a little time, that was what really sold this movie to me. (Also, solid supporting performances. Kudos.) Overall: not as bad as critics say. Stylish Entertainment.

  Read full review ↓
• Manuel São Bento2021-10-12
  ★ 5/10

  Action films with long, uncut, well-choreographed fighting sequences starring a couple of well-known actors seem to be one of the newest Hollywood trends. Kate is yet another entry in the exponentially growing list of action flicks boasting extraordinary stunt work but lacking compelling character work and an original story. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Birds of Prey) proves her worth in the combat department, carrying the otherwise dull movie on her shoulders. Unfortunately, the remarkable actress isn't strong enough to elevate what's just another female assassin derivative narrative that viewers have witnessed countless times before. Rating: C+

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Clubhouse Pictures

  US

• 

  87North Productions

  US

• SC

  Screen Arcade

  US

Key crew

• EditorSandra Montiel
• EditorElísabet Ronaldsdóttir
• Production DesignDominic Watkins
• Executive In Charge Of ProductionMatt Levin
• Co-ProducerMichael G. Selby
• Costume DesignAudrey Fisher
• Art DirectionKatsuya Imai
• Art DirectionMiyuki Kitagawa
• Art DirectionSiranat Ratchusanti
• Supervising Art DirectorCharlie Revai
• Makeup Department HeadLauren Thomas
• Visual Effects SupervisorBjörn Mayer
• Executive ProducerDavid Leitch
• Executive ProducerScott Allen Morgan
• Line ProducerSharon Miller
• Co-ProducerGeorgina Pope
• Co-ProducerAnthony J. Vorhies
• Co-ProducerBryce Anderson
• Visual Effects ProducerTaylor W. Rockwell
• Music SupervisorLiza Richardson
• CastingJenny Jue
• Unit Production ManagerAnthony J. Vorhies
• Unit Production ManagerPatrick Newall
• First Assistant DirectorK.C. Colwell

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• japan
• assassin
• radiation
• poison
• revenge
• female assassin
• tokyo, japan
• vengeance

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical (limited)2021-09-10R
• Digital2021-09-10R· Netflix

Also known as

International titles

• เคทTH
• ケイト：2021JP