REVIEW: ‘Protector’ Stumbles To Create A Poignant Revenge Story

Somewhere between Taken, Rambo, and John Wick, Protector (2026) fits somewhere in those lines. Directed by Adrian Grunberg and starring Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil) and Matthew Modine (Stranger Things), the revenge-style film follows former war hero Nikki, whose quiet life is upended when her daughter is kidnapped. Forced into the criminal underworld while being pursued by both law enforcement and military forces, she must rely on her combat skills to fight her way back to her child.

The film walks the line between shedding light on real human trafficking issues while also providing an action-packed story. Jovovich expands her acting range a bit more from her usual straightlaced action roles by playing a caring mother. Audiences finally get a look at the actor playing a more deeply emotional character. While she presents as a believable mother, the character writing is slightly inconsistent.

Nikki says the classic line to her daughter, “You’ll never understand,” during a typical mother-daughter fight. This is as cliché as it gets, and it’s the usual case of they just needed to communicate better. Nikki goes through the wringer trying to get her daughter back, and she explains her plans throughout the whole movie. As the audience hears Nikki’s thought process, these moments provide exposition. Overall, Milla Jovovich proves she’s not too old for the action film genre.

Protector doesn’t land the revenge elements that it seeks, but Milla Jovovich gets a chance to dive deeper.

This self-narration makes it seem as if Nikki is reading from her journal, which is fine. But it also tends to slow the pacing, given her meticulous planning. Maybe with a more frenetic score, this voiceover style could’ve worked better to keep the tension high, like in John Wick. What makes Keanu Reeves’ John Wick and Liam Neeson’s Bryan Mills work is how they’re more of the silent type. The physicality sells their killer presence.

This is not to say Milla Jovovich doesn’t deliver a fear-mongering performance, but not having the voiceover might’ve made more sense for her character. The audience learns that her military work tends to affect her ability to communicate with everyday people. For a film that wants the audience to believe the protagonist is going through the worst trauma, all the dialogue in Protector makes it sound like Nikki is still a normal, PTSD-free person—when in reality, she isn’t.

On the other side of the story, Modine’s Colonel Joseph Lavelle works well for a quick cameo appearance. While his expository voiceover sounds pleasant and explains everything, his tone slows the action down. Modine’s dialogue delivery is the best out of every actor in this movie, but it just felt out of place for the high-energy film Protector is intended to be. 

Matthew Modine’s presence unintentionally slows down the pacing.

For an action film, it’s confusing why they time-skipped through some of the badass action set pieces. But the intimate action set pieces only work because Jovovich has great actors to bounce emotions off of, like Manny Montana’s Victor the Butcher. Montana should have been the main antagonist of this film, as every other antagonist feels weaker than the next.  

The overall production value of Protector leans toward indie-to-medium-budget, which makes the film lose some of its realism. The whole film doesn’t rely on big explosions or huge action set decorations. However, the quick cuts, CGI glass breaks, and gunshots cheapen the whole experience. At least add some gunsmoke and better muzzle flashes to sell some realistic guns.

Also, the ADR sounds rough and could’ve used another pass, with the volume of certain characters’ voices not matching the expressions seen on-screen. And the worst sin of it all is the handheld-camera feel of the movie, with random smash-zooms in an attempt to ratchet up the intensity. This only makes it read more like an early 2000s action TV production. Some parts are poorly lit, and the color-grading isn’t doing any favors either, resulting in audiences missing some of the emotions the actors are showing off.

Even though the revenge tropes are predictable in this sometimes dizzying action-drama, the ending explains everything well. It’s almost like how Shutter Island makes more sense by the end of the movie, with Protector telling a deeply poignant tale of human trafficking, close to home in the United States. For watchers expecting high-level fight choreography and gun fu action, this is not that kind of film.

The film sheds light on human trafficking, with Milla Jovovich’s emotional performance driving the point home.

Protector is a film that attempts to show one case of human trafficking and the elaborate network that causes many people to go missing through trafficking. Jovovich helps sell the lengths a parent will go to in order to rescue their child. The one or two unique stunts/fight set pieces are just an entertainment bonus.

Protector enlightens audiences on some human trafficking issues in America and sympathizes with traumatized military personnel. The film heavily relies on Jovovich’s acting and physicality to drive the story home, and it works for the most part. Some fundamental film elements and techniques could have been used to refine this film.

For a film that tries to tell a story like Taken, it ends up sacrificing more exciting action for a more emotional narrative, which works both as a detriment and a benefit to making as good a movie as this one. Don’t expect an iconic line such as, “I will find you, and I will kill you,” in this film, though.   

Protector is now available on VOD and Digital.