Friday Night Movie: Colombiana

 

"Colombiana is an action-packed international tale of a young girl unwillingly thrown into a world of brutality, and ultimately, vengeance. Cataleya Restrepo witnesses the brutal murder of her parents at the hands of vicious Colombian crime Lord, Don Luis when she is only 9 years old. Cataleya manages to escape the assassin's bullets and find her way to Chicago to the safety of her uncle Emilio. Emilio tries to steer Cataleya away from a life of crime, but she is determined to become a professional." (IMDB)

After the box-office hit Taken, Luc Besson and co-writer Robert Mark Kamen have scripted another sensational thriller that stars Avatar's Zoe Saldana as a steely-eyed assassin on the trail of her parents' killers.

I became a Zoe Saldana fan after seeing Avatar and Star Trek, although she is known for her roles in Center Stage and Drumline. Saldana has said before in interviews that she likes to play strong female characters. "Women need to demand better roles and get audiences to see their films....If there were more filmmakers that were female, trust me, it would be all about women. -- on the current landscape of quality roles for actresses" (IMDB).

Reading more about Saldana, I learned of her Dominican descent, and read a quote on what she considers herself.

"When I go to the D.R., the press in Santo Domingo always asks, "¿Qué te consideras, dominicana o americana?" (What do you consider yourself, Dominican or American?) I don't understand it, and it's the same people asking the same question. So I say, time and time again, "Yo soy una mujer negra." ("I am a black woman.") [They go,] "Oh, no, tú eres trigueñita." ("Oh no, you are 'dark skinned'") I'm like, "No! Let's get it straight, yo soy una mujer negra." ("I am a black woman.") "(IMDB).

Those who know me well know that I LOVE Rosario Dawson. So when there was hype over Avatar and Star Trek, my mom wondered if Zoe Saldana would become my new Rosario. Um...never. I think Zoe Saldana is great. She's a decent actress, beautiful, and I like the fact that she takes on very strong female characters. And in preparation for a role, I've read and watched behind the scenes to see that she puts her entire self into it to become that person. But, Rosario Dawson will always remain my favorite celebrity. And in seeing the Colombiana trailer for the first time, the first thing that came to mind after seeing it was, "Why couldn't Rosario [Dawson] do that?!"

With all that being said, I'm a sucker for action movies--well particularly action movies where the women kick ass--so I definitely will be seeing this when I get the chance. Colombiana opens in theaters August 26th.

                     Take a peek at the trailer below. What do you think?

Sources: IMDB, Twitch Film