Kate Beckinsale’s new film Canary Black was released on Prime Video on October 24—and it is already receiving mixed reviews.
The film follows CIA operative Avery Graves (Beckinsale) whom terrorists have blackmailed into betraying her country so she can save her kidnapped husband. The synopsis continues: “Cut off from her team, she turns to her underworld contacts to help locate the coveted intelligence that the kidnappers want. As she is betrayed at every turn, Avery finds herself in a deadly race to deliver a ransom that could trigger a global crisis.”
Directed by Pierre Morel, the filmmaker best known for the action-packed Taken and From Paris With Love, Canary Black marks Beckinsale’s latest entry into the spy thriller genre. Despite the actor’s dedication to the role, critics seem split on whether the film lives up to its potential. Newsweek has emailed spokespeople for Beckinsale and Prime Video for comment on Friday outside of normal business hours.
Presley Ann/Getty Images
According to The Wrap, the movie falls short, with critic William Bibbiani describing it as “neither thrilling nor dramatic enough to qualify as entertainment.” He likened the experience to a fast-food order gone wrong, suggesting that viewers looking for anything beyond baseline action may feel let down.
“Pressing play on an action movie like Canary Black is like ordering at McDonald’s. You’ve already agreed to lower your standards, so you don’t get to complain that it’s ultra-processed junk food. That’s what you signed up for. You were in the mood for middle-of-the-road comfort sustenance and that’s all you have any right to expect,” Bibbiani wrote.
“But we’ve all been to a fast food joint where, yes, you technically got what you paid for, but it was so greasy you could barely eat it. Or it got squashed for no discernible reason. Or it’s got a hair in it. Sure, you ordered off the dollar menu but even the dollar menu makes a few meager promises, and if they can’t even get that right … well, you have Canary Black.”
Despite his criticism of the film’s predictable plot and lackluster action scenes, Bibbiani added that Beckinsale remains a standout, as “a reliable action star for decades, even when her movies can’t keep up with her.”
Adding to the critique, Decider‘s John Serba said that, while Canary Black carries typical action thriller beats—including tense phone calls with a distorted-voice villain and obligatory “high-stakes” hacking scenes—these tropes don’t always land. In one scene, Avery emails tech support as she hacks her way through the CIA’s labyrinthine system, a moment Serba jokingly said, “will pin you to your seat and make your hair fly backward like you’re sitting in a wind tunnel.”
Serba ends his review by asking: “Will Avery Graves save the world and her hubs? Seems like a fair bet, but the parlay on any pending twists might be tricky.”
Jayanty Nada Shofa from The Jakarta Globe said that the action spy thriller is “not the kind of movie that you will remember days after stepping out of the theater.”
Nada Shofa added that Canary Black starts off slowly, with a lackluster opening fight scene that could set poor expectations—and Beckinsale’s wig only contributes to setting a low bar. However, Nada Shofa said the action improves as the film goes on but the dialogue can be confusing, which could lose some viewers along the way.
“The action only started to pick up after Graves started to look for the Canary Black. A personal favorite fighting scene is when Graves beats up a CIA prisoner to look for the Canary Black—which one might expect to look like a mini chip—hidden inside the inmate’s fake tooth. The rest of the action is okay—some actually pump your adrenaline, while others are simply just there for the plot,” the review reads.
Public reviews of the film on Google show a range of reactions, from enthusiastic praise to harsh criticism, underscoring the film’s divisive impact. At the time of writing, 79 percent of reviewers liked the film.
Positive feedback highlights the film’s thrills and Beckinsale’s performance, with one viewer writing, “Loved this thriller from start to finish, great cast too! I hope there will be a sequel with Kate Beckinsale as well as Rupert Friend.”
“Late Beckinsale is great in the movie! Full of action, drama and suspense! Love the movie!” said another.
A different review was more mixed, with the person posting: “Hahaha … if you’re up for a lighthearted B spy movie, and don’t take it too seriously, It’s an excellent background to doing homework! Also, I don’t think it was intended to, but it’s pretty funny. YEAH, it’s BAD, like Days of our Lives meet Team America, But it’s good for s*** and giggles! Get ready for lots of CHEESE.”
There were also a variety of negative reviews, with one person saying the film is “Lacking in many areas. Do not recommend.”
“Horrible movie. The acting was abysmal. Glaring flaws in the production. And they just couldn’t help themselves and had to insert the usual woke one liners. Don’t waste your time on this. It’s an epic waste of time,” someone else wrote.
Another person added: “This is a movie that requires you to lower every expectation of an action movie. It’s almost like the CIA is scratching the bottom of the propaganda barrel.”
