Colombiana

Colombiana is a 2011 French action film, directed by Olivier Megaton, starring Zoe Saldana, Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis, Lennie James, Callum Blue and Jordi Molla.

Plot
In 1992, a young 9-year-old girl named Cataleya (Amandla Stenberg) witnesses her parents, Fabio (Jesse Borrego) & Alicia (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) being murdered by drug lords in Bogota, Colombia, but she is able to escape to the United States to live with her uncle Emilio (Cliff Curtis) where he trains her to be an assassin.

Fifteen years later, now 24 years old, Cataleya (Zoe Saldana) has become a stone-cold assassin, working as a hit man by day, but she spends her time getting involved in vigilante murders, hoping that it will lead her to the person responsible for her parents' murder.

Cast

 * Zoe Saldana as Cataleya Restrepo/Valerie Phillips
 * Amandla Stenberg Young Cataleya Restrepo
 * Jesse Borrego as Fabio Restrepo
 * Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Alicia Restrepo
 * Cliff Curtis as Emilio Restrepo
 * Ofelia Medina as Mama
 * Michael Vartan as Danny Delaney
 * Lennie James as FBI Special Agent James Ross
 * Callum Blue as CIA Agent Steve Richard
 * Beto Benites as Don Luis Sandoval
 * Jordi Mollà as Marco, Don Luis's top henchman
 * Graham McTavish as U.S. Head Marshal Warren
 * Max Martini as FBI Special Agent Williams
 * Doug Rao as Michael Shino
 * Sam Douglas as William Woogard
 * Affif Ben Badra as Genarro Rizzo
 * Ariane Brodier as Alexa
 * Billy Slaughter as Ryan

Production
The filming dates for "Colombiana" took place around August 20, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois, New Orleans, Louisiana, Mexico and France.

The movie was based on a script that was set to be the sequel for the film "Leon: The Professional]" and was supposed to be set to follow Natalie Portman's character, Mathilda as she tracked down & killed the characters that wronged her & Leon, but Natalie Portman's successful career kept her being available for the film, so the script was re-written into "Colombiana."

Controversy
A nonprofit group called PorColombia criticized the film, saying that it stereotyped Colombia in a negative way.

Carlos Macias, the president of PorColombia, claimed that the film is proof of a "total lack of creativity" of "Hollywood".

When asked about the situation in an interview, Zoe Saldana said, "Shame on them? I don't know, I wish I knew how to address stupid unintelligent comments but I don't, I'm not a stupid person".

In his review in Senses of Cinema, David Martin-Jones named and analyzed a number of shortcomings. Even so, he stated finally that in spite of all its resemblances to Hollywood blockbusters this film provided in comparison at least "a different perspective" concerning immigration and international wealth inequality.

Box Office
"Columbiana" debuted at #2 at the box office, grossing $10,408,176 during its opening week, coming in behind the film The Help. Domestically, it grossed $36,665,854 and $60,965,854 worldwide.

Critical Reception
The movie was given a 27% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 94 reviews. The critics' consensus said, "Zoe Saldana has the chops but she's taken out by erratic and sloppy filmmaking".

Christy Lemire of The Associated Press wrote: "The director of La Femme Nikita and The Fifth Element serves as co-writer and producer here, but this is very much a spin-off of his brand, a continuation of the kind of stereotype- and gravity-defying characters he’s made his name on. Colombiana feels more hammy and muscular, though – but knowingly so, and that’s what makes it solid, late-summer escapist fun".

Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times wrote: “''This B-movie blast of bloody blam blam is the latest chapter in the Luc Besson book of badly bruised lovelies who are better not crossed. What he began in 1990 with Nikita followed with Léon in ’94 and ’97's The Fifth Element, (the last written with Robert Mark Kamen, who co-wrote Colombiana with Besson), he refines in Colombiana''.”

USA Today's Claudia Puig wrote, “''This is a showy flower of an action film. Saldana doesn’t get much of a chance to emote, but her action skills blossom''".

Jordan Mintzer of the Hollywood Reporter, said that "There are guilty pleasures to be had in this frenzied B starring Zoe Saldana, who gives an acrobatic performance that makes the overcooked material watchable".

Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "C" grade, saying, "Colombiana is silly fun at first, but as her break-ins and escapes grow absurdly complex - and her motivations increasingly muddy - it turns into the same silly stuff we've seen before, a dish of revenge served not so much cold as reheated".

Slant Magazine's Nick Schager said that Zoe Saldana "is such a sultry and surprisingly heartfelt executioner that she often finds a way to make this by-the-numbers genre retread feel, if not fresh, then at least sporadically electric".

Accolades
2012 ALMA Awards
 * Favorite Movie Actress- Drama\Adventure: Zoe Saldana (won)

2011 Alliance of Women Film Journalists
 * Kick Ass Award for Best Female Action Star: Zoe Saldana (nominated)

2012 BET Awards
 * Best Actress: Zoe Saldana (nominated)

2012 Black Reel Awards
 * Best Actress: Zoe Saldana (nominated)

2012 Golden Trailer Awards
 * Best Thriller (nominated)

2012 Image Awards
 * Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Zoe Saldana (nominated)

2012 Teen Choice Awards
 * Choice Movie Actress- Action: Zoe Saldana (won)