Protector (2025)

Protector is Taken with Milla Jovovich in the Liam Neeson role and almost none of the snap. Nikki Halsted is a former soldier who walked away from that life to raise her daughter Chloe, then comes to in an abandoned factory, finds out Chloe has been kidnapped, and tears through the criminal underworld with the cops and the military both chasing her. That’s the whole movie. Milla Jovovich is ferocious, playing every scene like the script deserved her, and she’s the only reason to watch. Everything around her is ridiculous in the dull way, not the fun way, a stack of revenge clichés that never surprises once. Matthew Modine shows up as a colonel. Critics were brutal, with a 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it made $2 million worldwide. At 91 minutes, at least it’s quick. A 2.9 because Jovovich deserves a much better movie than this. $480.27 says you finish it and go straight to The Fifth Element to remember what Jovovich can do with a real script.

What works: Milla Jovovich gives it everything, and her fierce performance is the one thing worth watching.

What doesn’t: The plot is a pile of tired revenge tropes, and the execution is both silly and dull.

Who it’s for: Milla Jovovich completists who will watch her fight her way through anything.