A former champion boxer embarks on the fight of her life when she goes in search of her missing sister.
Former professional boxer Kali Reis turned actor/screenwriter marks her debut with the greatest thriller I’ve seen in years. Her screenplay, directed by Josef Kubota Wladkya (who also co-wrote), displays the consequences of indigenous people being exploited and forgotten. Statistically, indigenous people in the US and Canada go missing more often than any other ethnic group. And there are little to no resources spent on finding the many missing people. The production was filmed in upstate New York during the winter amongst industrial settings and stark landscapes. Reflective of the harsh lives and conditions.
Reis plays Kaylee, nicknamed “K.O.”, a former boxer and addict. Using intelligent writing and limited exposition, her character is fully formed without overt or unnecessary explanations. Kaylee dreams that she is preparing for a fight with her trainer, but wakes up in another reality, her current reality – living in a women’s shelter. She keeps a razor tucked into her mouth for self-defense which occasionally cuts her mouth. Kaylee is a server at a cheap diner, where we see her collecting customers’ leftovers for herself in the backroom until her manager gently insists that she can ask the kitchen for a meal at the beginning of her shift.
After work, her trainer picks Kaylee up and they meet with the “recruiter”, Lisa (Isabelle Chester), who helps find vulnerable girls for a sex trafficking ring. The same ring might have something to do with her missing underage sister which we find out is KO’s motivation. Lisa pulls up the internet listing of a young native girl and Kaylee is certain it’s her. Kaylee prepares to go undercover as a sex worker in order to infiltrate the trafficking ring with the hopes of locating and saving her missing sister. To prepare for this dangerous mission, we are gifted with one of the most intense training montages I’ve ever witnessed. Kaylee’s trainer wants a diverse combat approach with a focus on larger opponents, so she is paired up with two different heavyweight fighters. One for mixed martial arts and one for a boxing spar in the ring. Although she’s bested by both of the massive men, she exhibits impressive resilience. We dread the unequal fight she is up against, and revel in her commitment to keep going.
Every detail in the film, from the production to the acting is flawless. The talented cast, consisting of both unknown and popular character actors, adds to the gritty realism. Besides Reis’ wonderful performance, Daniel Henshall really stood out. Henshall is most memorable for playing the terrifying serial killer John Bunting in “The Snowtown Murders.” I was surprised to read this was the production’s crew first feature including the DP and director. Their long takes using tracking mounts and shot-reverse shots are spectacular. During conversations and car rides, they embrace a neo-noir aesthetic filling the screen with yellows, greens, and blues, bouncing off wet surfaces. Last but not least, the sound design and editing are stirring, a percussive score of tribal drums, and moving synths by Nathan Halpern.
While female-centric action films have been popular, “Catch the Fair One” captures the right mix of vulnerability and empowerment. Reis performed her own stunts and the film doesn’t go overboard with gratuitous action. The unexpected screenplay makes this the most thrilling film I’ve seen in years.
“Catch the Fair One” recently had its World Premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival
