The Reel Review
A seasoned counter-terrorism expert (Noomi Rapace) and the spoiled, mining conglomerate heiress (Sophie Nélisse) whom she’s hired to protect find themselves on the run after an attempted kidnapping at the family’s fortified kasbah in rural Morocco reveals a deadly conspiracy.
The first half of this thriller moves at a quick pace with some pretty intense action reminiscent of the Charlize Theron thriller Atomic Blonde. It also features some solid performances, with Rapace (Prometheus, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) showcasing some epic badassery, Nélisse (The Book Thief) as the brat with a surprising penchant for killing bad guys, and Indira Varma (Game of Thrones) as the heiress’ beautiful, suspicious stepmother. But sadly, it is not enough to overcome co-writer/director Vicky Jewson’s dull, directionless second half of the story, and a few distractingly subpar production values – those scenes featuring TV network reports, in particular – yikes! The film, however, does a nice job of showing off the Moroccan countryside, for what it’s worth.
REEL FACTS
• The film is inspired by Britain’s self-proclaimed first female bodyguard Jacquie Davis, whom has protected celebrities such as Nicole Kidman and JK Rowling as well as members of the British royal family.
• The building that served as the family’s fortified hilltop kasbah in Close is a luxury property called Villa E in the Atlas Mountains outside of Marrakesh.
• Noomi Rapace did all of her own stunts in the film
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