Everly

Kind of an odd movie about Everly (Salma Hayek) trying to fend off a constant stream of would-be killers long enough to get her mother and daughter enough money to flee from slaver that's kept Everly prisoner for the last four years.

On the one hand, it's a violent siege movie that opens with Everly escaping into a bathroom after having been gang-raped in her apartment, and later includes a character called The Sadist who plans to torture her with various acids (with the help of his quartet of kabuki assistants). On the other hand, there's a brief sequence where she tries to clean up the bloodstains and dead bodies before her mother and daughter arrive while Christmas music plays (the movie does take place around Christmas).

The first several attempted killers are the other (presumably) enslaved sex workers on the floor, who got a text from the boss they'd make 50 grand for killing Everly. So there's like a ten minute stretch of these ladies charging in one at a time trying to kill her with whatever weapon they had a hand. One of them gets a wig ripped off and some random goon laughs, so the lady chucks a sai at him, prompting him to observe, "A fucking sai?", then run away.

It's a dark humor, but it still feels like it cuts against the overall story. I can see it being funny and wanting to laugh, but then it feels like I shouldn't laugh at the shitty situation she finds herself in. I guess it can work if you view this whole thing as kind of absurd, that she's going to try and pretend nothing is going on when the daughter she hasn't seen in four year comes by. Try to hide the full horror of what she's gone through from her mother, who is understandably angry considering she had no clue what happened to Everly. Play the domestic, bring out a gift for her daughter, try to dress nicely while she has a damn bullet hole in her side.

The main villain, Taiko, played is Hiroyuki Watanabe, is outstanding at making you hate his guts. She's been abducted by his men and placed in this situation, and yet, because she was his personal slave, he expects her to recognize that as love, as is deeply offended by her betrayal. And then somehow even more offended when she keeps refusing to simply die like he expects her to, even though he keeps calling and telling her he's going to sell her daughter into slavery as well. It's like, what do you think she's going to do when you tell her that? That kind of arrogance where the character is so used to everyone kissing their ass they can't acknowledge anytime the universe doesn't bend to their will.