Kite: A big bad mess
Imagine a Japanese animated production that is actually not an animation, has nothing to do with the Japanese culture and the film is shot in South Africa.
Does this not sound a bit much? Well, that is exactly what you get in Ralph Ziman’s movie, Kite in which society is plagued by crime and corruption, and children are the prime victims with child trafficking being the business of the day.
Not even Samuel L. Jackson could save this movie, whose acting is terribly stale in the film by the way. The South African actors featured in Kite even do a better acting job than Jackson in their respective roles.
Jackson plays the role of Karl Aker, a corrupt police detective, alongside India Eisley who plays the lead, Sawa.
In the film, Sawa grows up under Karl’s wing after her parents were murdered in front of her eyes. Sawa grows up to track down her parents’ apparent killer with the help of Karl who also supplies Sawa with a drug that helps her forget the past and makes her feel invincible.
Ziman shot the film at noticeable inner city locations around Johannesburg. However, the film’s shooting comes across as amateurish.
The dialogue in the film has its moments but for most of the movie it is weak. Kite is a fast-paced film and there is a lot going on in the story.
Watch this movie if you are an anime (Japanese animated film) junky. The idea of anime coming to life might be a thrill but don’t watch this movie if you are anticipating that this film will be of the calibre of Kill Bill or Sin City – it is not.
