Women have saved action movies. Who'd go see one if not for Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft or Salt, or Milla Jovovich in anything, or even Helen Mirren in Red? Not to mention Kick-Ass, TheGirl With the Dragon Tattoo, and Hanna. Tough chicks have made dumb macho stereotypes their own. Latest in the line is Zoe Saldana as the lethal Cataleya. Even as a schoolgirl she's a handful, pinning a guy's hand to a table with a knife and escaping the cartel thugs who murdered her father and mother. She lies low in Chicago where her uncle teaches her to be an assassin. Fifteen years and about 20 hits later, she's ready for payback: lithe as a pen stroke, she shows what she can do with weapons ranging from an RPG to a toothbrush. Director Olivier Megaton has mastered the art of balancing absurdity with conviction, both in his montages and his choices on the soundtrack. Johnny Cash's version of "Hurt" over the credits? Kitschy, but it still stings.
