Kaley Cuoco, David Oyelowo, Connie Nielsen, Rudi Dharmalingam and Bill Nighy star in this action-thriller film, which is directed by Thomas Vincent and written by Andrew Baldwin and Seth W. Owen. With a runtime of 100 minutes, the movie showcases Emma and Dave’s peculiar problem when her double life as an assassin for hire gets discovered suddenly, and she must do whatever it takes to keep her family safe.
Story
When Role Play starts, it gives the vibe that it will be a familiar tale of espionage and lies of an assassin leading a double life with some twists and turns. It seems like it will be entertaining, regardless of the familiarity and I personally like Kaley Cuoco, who always feels like the girl next door yet capable of being the bad one when needed. By the time the hour mark gets up, the movie turns out to be exactly what is mentioned above and honestly, for a weekend release, it does its job well – entertain and keep you busy.
This movie is clearly not trying to be something that will change the genre forever. It knows exactly what it is and tries its best to do that and nothing more, and that works well for the movie since it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The movie is humorous in the right moments and takes its time building some thrill and seriousness in some of its scenes. It flows well, and you also find yourself rooting for Emma and Dave’s relationship as well as them individually. Thanks to the time it takes to build the characters up, that is a given and is a welcome addition.
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That being said, I think there are moments in the movie that take too long to get to the point. Long dialogue-heavy scenes that are meant to make you fear for the safety of the protagonists don’t have the desired effect; in fact, after a minute, you grow annoyed at how long they are making the scene go on in order to pad the runtime. Considering the familiar nature of the storyline, it also doesn’t feel too stressful to see Emma in a battle of words with her enemies, and thus, the heavy atmosphere that it tries to create really doesn’t reach the mark. It slows the pace down as well significantly and annoys you to no end.
Action Sequences
The movie is heavy on the action because, obviously, Emma is an assassin. Cuoco plays her role well and is believable as a loving but deadly killer who is trying very hard to leave her past behind her and live a normal life. Of course, movie protagonists who have ever wanted such things couldn’t have their dreams met easily, so here, too, she fights a lot of bad guys. She’s quite entertaining and in her role and it is fun to watch her fight people effortlessly. The action is believable and smooth and takes place in bursts without an insane amount of cuts, so that’s always nice.
Unfortunately, I think the climax sequence falls short of its promise and is quite a mellow and anti-climatic watch that doesn’t show much action and, for some reason, feels like a silly hide-and-seek game. You’d expect the little amount of intrigue that that movie presents would amount to something but it falls flat at the end. I was left to wonder about the point of watching all this when Emma’s big enemies were just low-speaking, gun-trotting individuals who fell to the ground at her slight touch.
Characters & Performances
Although Kaley Cuoco is the fun and goofy wife-cum-assassin, it is David Oyelowo’s Dave who brings most of the entertainment in the movie, in my book. Emma is believable because Dave makes her so and grounds her. His loving, simple and trustworthy character makes him a very sweet watch in my book. That being said, Cuoco’s Emma is a very repetitive protagonist for the genre who doesn’t have much going for her character. Although she plays her role well, there’s nothing much going on there.
Connie Nielsen plays the antagonist, who never reaches a point of terror. She’s a mildly bad person who has an odd obsession with Emma, and… that’s about it. She’s not a good shot, and neither do her threatening dialogues feel anything remotely fear-inducing.
Role Play Review: Conclusion
In the end, this Kaley Cuoco and David Oyelowo-starrer action film is great for a movie night with the family and is not too gory or traumatising. It’s a light, fun watch that doesn’t have many stakes and is over before you know it. There are some moments that drag quite a bit unnecessarily, but honestly, when you watch it without many expectations, it’s just a very mild irritant somewhere down the line.
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