I continue to try to catch up with films I missed over the last five years, which I still consider to be “Recent Releases.”  Since I tend to gravitate toward “concept” films rather than “slice of life” pictures I have perhaps an inordinate number of action flicks, thrillers and suspense movies in my viewing history.  It seems to me that, along with horror and superhero adventure, those kind of films are what is mainly being produced these days, so that is what I am seeing.  This one, written (mostly) and directed by women, is a good one, at least for the most part.

Niki Caro’s film begins with a witness (Jennifer Lopez) being held in an F. B. I. safe house, which she knows is not safe.  Sure enough, chaos ensues, but she survives, as does her unborn daughter — but she is forced to give up the baby in order to protect it, for the bad guys are still seeking revenge against her.  Twelve years later, the Mother returns from her hiding place in Alaska when her now-grown daughter Zoe (Lucy Paez) is targeted by the bad guys.  Zoe is kidnapped and her mother valiantly rescues her, tries to teach her how to be resilient and resourceful enough to survive, and waits for the bad guys to attack.  Eventually they do.

Despite this movie’s rather obvious plotting (I’ve seen very similar stories before, although I cannot recall exactly which movie or movies this plot is cribbed from), it is told in an even, deliberate manner, well paced, realistically produced and with some style.  Jennifer Lopez has proven her onscreen toughness before (Enough, Parker, Anaconda, even Gigli), but here she seems even more like a force of nature.  As every hunter knows, you don’t mess with a mother protecting her babies.  Here, the bad guys (Joseph Fiennes, Gael Garcia Bernal) prove to be rather stupid about that, despite their overwhelming firepower.

One wonders exactly how this woman got herself involved with these two criminal jerks in the first place, but that’s how these things work.  Put someone in a place where it is nigh impossible from which to escape, and let ’em dazzle with their smarts, their endurance, their tolerance for pain and their determination.  That such a formula can still work after so many, many movies may be surprising, but this is the proof.  There is something fundamentally cathartic about witnessing a wronged person set things right — with deadly force.  This isn’t groundbreaking stuff, but it is undeniably satisfying.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  15 March 2026.