I already knew from IMDb that RSA was somehow involved. Watching the movie, I saw certain characters and actors and I heard a lot of jargon that suggested South Africa.The movie reminded me a lot of "Chappie"...

Set in a future where the state has effectively collapsed after a financial meltdown where cartels trade children and what law enforcement there is is corrupt or ineffective an eighteen year old girl is determined to bring down 'The Emir', the leader of one such cartel. She is Sawa, the daughter of a police officer who was orphaned when her parents were murdered when she was twelve. She is looked after by her father's former partner, Lieutenant Karl Aker. Sawa is also hooked on a drug known as 'Amp', which blocks much of her memory. As Sawa works her way through the cartel, Aker cleans up any evidence that could point to her. After one confrontation she meets Oburi, a young man who tells her that they were once friends.I must say that I have not seen the anime that this film was based on so can't say how this treatment compares. That said I enjoyed this a bit more than I'd expected given its rating here. When we first see Sawa, wearing a vivid pink wig and watching clothes I wondered if perhaps the creators were just a little too keen to make the film look like a live action anime; thankfully that wasn't the case… if anything it looked too grim rather than excessively bright. The story might not be the most original but as revenge thrillers go this wasn't bad. India Eisley does a solid job as Sawa; a character that is tough but still has enough vulnerability to make the viewer think she is in real danger much of the time. This clearly isn't Samuel L. Jackson's best film but he does a fine job as Aker. The rest of the cast are decent enough although some are clearly better than others; many of the villains are a bit too over-the-top but they never last very long. The action scenes were plentiful and fairly brutal with plenty of blood spilt and a few wince inducing moments. There is a twist that many viewers will probably spot in advance but thankfully it is neither too obvious nor is it too unlikely. Overall a decent enough revenge thriller; not a must see but worth checking out if it is on TV or in the DVD bargain bin.

As the saying goes, not many surprises to be found here, but still a somewhat decent low budget effort. Formula is well known and with an added gravitas such as Samuel L. Jackson, you give the movie some weight (it's not like he can help all the flaws this has, but he's always mesmerizing to watch).The other actors are mixed bunch. The action (choreography) though is pretty good. Always taking into account what movie that is. There is also a lot of blood and drug use fyi, though I'm sure you can read that in the rating explanation too. There are not many shades of gray character wise, you do get them in color scheme of the picture though. For some it might be a bit too dark of course.

Reviews on this seem to range between worst ever and careful analysis of the movie compared to real live. Hello? It is an action movie, with futuristic elements to boot. Also, most reviewers have suspiciously only reviewed 1 or 2 movies and an IMDb account for several weeks or months. I call those reviews in doubt. Is it a great movie. No. But neither are most movies by Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stalone and basically anything by Michael Bay. And still, most of you watch it. Quite frankly I rather watch this than yet another Die Hard franchise movie or something out of the Expandable series which is basically recycling for has-been actors. So what DO we have here. Just a nice action movie, manga remake such as Aeon Flux or Ultra Violet, while the style is more reminiscent of Leon or Banlieu 13 (both by Luc Besson), but without the quality of either of the latter. Just a nice movie on a Saturday night or a rainy day with friends watching a cute naive girl kicking the crap out of some guys. Don't analyze the characters or the story, as you wouldn't with the majority of these kinds of movies, and you'll be OK.