Proud Mary promises a lot, even from the first shots, but executes very little. The fusion of sounds and images with a bit of cold-blooded edge to the film’s prologue suggest a solid throwback picture, reminiscent of blaxploitation cinema of the 1970s. Sadly, even in the first five minutes of the film, we are let off the hook, and the film becomes awfully predictable, heavy-handed, and forgettable.

Taraji P. Henson, so good in Hidden Figures, is reliable here as the titular Mary, a hitwoman working for the mob in Boston with fiery maternal instincts, but performance is put on the film’s back burner. Wanting too desperately to rely on shoot-em-up extravaganza, one watches the film wondering when the characters onscreen will stop talking about what they will do and actually do it. The plot is slowed down, and the zesty personality of the film’s subgenre is squandered.

Dove cannot approve of the film due to its violent content and heavy use of language.