AsLucyshoots its way to the top ofNetflix’s most-watched movie charts a decade after its theatrical release, hardcore action fans should stay on the platform and flock toColombiana, another Luc Besson-conceived assassin thriller that perfects the vigilante revenge formula. Moreover, following Zoe Saldaña’s starkly different, Oscar-winning performance in last year’sEmilia Pérez, viewers will come away fromColombianawith a much greater appreciation for her action movie bona fides.
Although it doesn’t boast the drug-induced superhero aspect Lucy does,Colombianais a stylishly entertaining wrinkle in the age-old one-person revenge tale. Released three years beforeLucy, it can be argued thatBesson took what he learned, good and bad, from theColombianaexperience and applied it toLucy, which drew more praise from critics but not necessarily audiences. Yet, ifLucyspoke more to professional movie reviewers, here’s whyColombianaresonates more with hardcore action fans.
Colombiana
Zoe Saldaña Is a Skilled Assassin in ‘Colombiana’
Luc Besson wroteColombianawith Robert Mark Kamen, handing directorial duties to French filmmaker Olivier Megaton. Handled with stylish verve by Megaton, the simple conceit concerns Cataleya (Saldaña), a Colombian woman hell-bent on avenging her parents' murderer after witnessing her family slaughtered by a drug lord in Bogotá when she was nine. Before the massacre, Cataleya’s father handed her an SD card with data about the murderer, Don Luis Sandoval (Beto Benites), who sent his henchman, Marco (Jordi Mollà), to kill the family.
15 years later, in 2007, Cataleya has neither forgotten nor forgiven Don Luis for killing her father, whom she learns he was in the drug business with. Over the past decade-plus, Cataleya has risen through the Colombian underworld as ahighly-skilled and emotionally detached assassinwho murders high-priced targets. Cataleya’s calling card is the Cattleya flower, an indigenous orchid she leaves at every crime scene to draw Don Luis out of hiding and exact her revenge.
With the one-track mind to eliminate Don Luis and every protector in her way,Cataleya shows relentless guile and unremitting resolve as she blasts her way through a throng of bad guys. The plot thickens, however, whenthe FBI gets involvedafter launching a manhunt for the person responsible for over 20 murders. With Cataleya targeting Don Luis and his men, and the FBI targeting Cataleya,Colombianarushes toward its bullet-laced, blood-soaked resolution with bustling brio.
How Besson Refined the Assassin-Revenge Thriller With ‘Lucy’
Three years afterColombianawas released, Luc Besson upped the ante withLucy,the first assassinmovie he had written and directed sinceLeon: The Professionalin 1994 and a genre he has been perfecting sinceLa Femme Nikitain 1990.Lucystars Scarlett Johansson as the titular assassin, with the plot’s high-concept focusing on a drug deal gone awry, resulting in Lucy gaining superhuman psychokinetic powers after the synthetic CPH4 enters her system and unlocks untapped brainpower.
Once CPH4 flows through her bloodstream,Lucy becomes a super-powered assassin with unmatched cognition and intelligence. Dead set on avenging those who abducted her and forced her to ingest the drug, Lucy becomes the same kind ofone-person armythat fans have come to know and love aboutColombiana.
Luc Besson’s 10 Best Movies, Ranked
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The latter may not boast the same absurd premise that justifies the ridiculous action that ensues, yet, as far as watching independent women reclaim their lives, taking their fates into their own hands, and serving swift justice to those who wronged them, both movies have Besson’s literal name written all over them. Beyond the films he has directed,the vigilante revenge formula is one Besson has stamped with everything fromTaken, The Transporter, From Paris with Love, Lockout, 3 Days to Kill,and others.
Although ‘Lucy’ Was More Successful, Audiences Prefer ‘Colombiana’
Due to its intoxicating premise, Johannson’s star power, and Besson’s genre mastery,Lucywas a runaway commercial hit when it opened theatrically in 2014. The film grossed $458 million globally on a $40 million budget (viaBox Office Mojo), earning over 11 times its cost. By contrast,Colombianagrossed $63 million worldwide against a $10 million price tag, a moderate commercial success for TriStar Pictures and Stage 6 Films.
Lucyalso performed better critically, with 67% of movie reviews on Rotten Tomatoes praising the over-the-top premise and reflective tone. Yet, the same aspects lauded by critics — namely, the brain-unlocking conceit — were roundly rebuked by general audiences who found it too silly and unrealistic to bear. In 2025,Lucyholds a 47% Popcornmeter rating on RT and a C+ Cinemascore grade.
Meanwhile,Colombianafared better among casual moviegoers than critics, holding a 28% Tomatometer (critic score) compared to a 67% Popcornmeter (audience score), and a Cinemascore grade of A-. Translation:Hardcore action enthusiasts who enjoyedLucywill receive an irrepressible blast while watchingColombianaon Netflix. WithLucy,Besson went too far with the formulaic excesses that made his earlier work likeLa Femme Nikitaso fresh and exhilarating.
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Beyond the lean, mean, no-nonsense approach toColombiana’s violent tenor,Saldaña gives just as compelling a performanceas Johansson inLucy. In a way,Colombiana’s underrated status mirrors Saldaña’s career as an underappreciated action star whose movies have grossed over $15 billion internationally, becoming the second-highest-grossing leading actress in history (viaWork and Money).
Johannson may have the glitz, glamour, and the more successful Besson action movie under her belt, yet withColombiana, Saldaña reminds everyone that she is a commercial force to be reckoned with. Over a decade after each actor worked on a Besson assassin thriller, Saldaña won an Academy Award, while Johannson has two nominations. While the awards comparison has little bearing on the recommendation ofColombiana, the point is that Saldaña’s mega-successful action movie career has flown under the radar — much likeColombianaitself.
