CIA operative Joe attempts to balance her personal and professional life as the tip of the spear in the agency’s war on terror. She enlists Cruz, a female special operations Marine, as an undercover member of the Lioness Program.
Taylor Sheridan is a filmmaker I have long admired. He wrote “Sicario,” “Hell or High Water,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” and “Wind River,” and created the TV shows “Tulsa King,” “Mayor of Kingstown,” and the TV juggernaut, “Yellowstone,” along with its spin-off shows “1883,” “1923,” as well as two sequels, “6666” and “2024,” rumored to be a continuation of “Yellowstone,” with Matthew McConaughey reportedly the show’s new lead.
He always writes believable dialog, especially for the women in his shows, making them equal to their male counterparts and, at times, overshadowing them. Beth Dutton, anybody? As an indie filmmaker myself, my late mother’s determination, tenacity, and infinite love inspired me from a very early age, so I always infused the female characters in my films with an abundance of fearlessness and dogged determination, something Sheridan has so passionately imbued his female characters with from the very beginning.
With “Special Ops: Lioness,” Sheridan leaves the cowboy life behind and tackles the world of international espionage. Zoe Saldaña plays Joe, a CIA officer in charge of the Lioness program, where female operatives befriend the wives and daughters of dangerous terrorists with the intent of getting close enough that they can take out the target. Laysla De Oliveira plays Cruz Manuelos, a Force Recon Marine new to the Lioness program. With her early life filled with abuse from men, the Marines have given her a purpose, and she is more than willing to sign up for the program.
She learns that the target is one of the wealthiest terrorist financiers in the Middle East, and her job is to become friends with his daughter, Aaliyah (Stephanie Nur). As she works her way into Aaliyah’s life, she gradually realizes that developing a relationship with someone in desperate need of a friend is not as easy as she thought. When both women begin to develop feelings for each other, Cruz must take her emotions out of the equation and either quit the program or keep her head in the game and see the job through.
“Special Ops: Lioness” is exciting and filled with nail-biting tension. As Cruz gets closer to Aaliyah, you can feel her anxiety increase as she discovers she is getting ready to partake in a planned marriage to a Middle Eastern man who, like her father, is a known terrorist and has no respect for women. The camaraderie between the soldiers in the Lioness program is realistic, and the characters always have each other’s backs, just like a real platoon.
Saldaña shines as the program leader, while Nicole Kidman does a creditable job as her superior, Kaitlyn Meade, but Laysla De Oliveira captures Cruz’s inner turmoil perfectly. Her tough exterior, which has taken a lot of abuse over the years, is up for any job, but it is no match for a broken heart. As she and Aaliyah grow closer together, she finally understands what it is like to love and be loved, but her charade is about to come crashing down when she ends up in the company of Aaliyah’s father with nobody else around. Will she be able to complete her assignment, or will she fold under the pressure?
“Special Ops: Lioness” is left wide open for a season two, which I hope they pursue because it is well-written and engaging, with a vast array of likable and charismatic characters and future storylines that could take Joe and her team all around the globe. While Sheridan is involved in a wide assortment of projects in various stages of production, he shows no signs of slowing down, and that is a good thing because he is one of the best writers and creators around.
Now available on Blu-ray™ and DVD
