AGENT JADE BLACK Review: Terry Spears’ Lo-Fi Spy Thriller Is Big On Vision, Short On Everything Else
Director Terry Spears’s third independent feature, Agent Jade Black, brings actress Katie Burgess to the fray as a specially trained agent for a government program.
Burgess stars as Black, young, tough as nails, mildly insubordinate and a force to be reckoned with on the field. After an assignment gone wrong, her new mission sends her to Italy in search of a doctor whose coded laptop contains a list, one that soon turns out to include an elusive figure by the name of Hawthorne (Luke Wyckoff).
Joined by her newly-assigned contact, Rome, Black’s efforts to get close to her latest person of interest soon find them both seperated and taken captive, with Black put face-to-face with Elle (Connie Franklin), a former agent herself who shares striking similarities to Black’s own past.
After torturing her, Elle attempts to appeal to Black’s hopeful interest in her plans involving a deadly biological weapon she hopes to circulate into the sex trade. Hearing none of it, Black escapes, ensuing a more intricate and nefarious plan that will implore her to uncover a mole in their organization, and seize on the only chance they might have to bring Elle to justice.
Burgess’s portrayal holds its own as the titular heroine in this particular tale. In all honesty, however, it’s Franklin who takes advantage of every moment she can as the villainess Elle, and it’s the most fun you’ll get out of any of the characters in the film. Sidney Flack’s Malcolm adds some pretty interesting moments to some of the drama with Elle in the second half.
The acting is decent in some parts, though a little more worse for wear in others, and the same especially goes for the action. That our protagonist can physically take down hefty henchmen with her bare hands is far from believable as are the fight scenes she’s in, and you’re likely to get more out of any zero-budget action short from The Hit List, frankly.
The most redeemable aspect of the film is Burgess’ ability to own the character. Though she does what she can with what little is available, delivering an earnest performance on the production that falls short in many areas for its modestly ambitious nature.
Agent Jade Black presents a heroine and a villainess who are both very gorgeous and easy on the eyes, and carry themselves amply well on screen. The origins of their characters aren’t as greatly explored as they should’ve been, and perhaps that might have been achievable on a bigger production. As far as talent goes and seeing as Burgess is quite a new face to many, the film is worth a rainy day rental, though if only to observe her potential for future projects to come.
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!