Anna

Following in the footsteps of Nikita and Lucy is Anna, the latest female assassin from the mind of French filmmaker Luc Besson.

Alas, she’s an alluring character left in search of a more compelling movie. This lackluster espionage thriller is like a jigsaw puzzle where once you put all the pieces together, the cumulative result makes you doubt whether it was worth the trouble.

The movie opens circa 1990 in Moscow, where Anna (Sasha Luss) is a street merchant recruited by a stranger ostensibly to be a model in Paris, but we soon learn there’s something more under the wigs and tight leather skirts. She has a history of seducing powerful men with criminal connections and killing them.

Is Anna a spy for the KGB? That’s what her demanding superior (Helen Mirren) would have us believe. So would an agent (Luke Evans) whose affection she actually seems to reciprocate. Later, she meets an undercover CIA affiliate (Cillian Murphy) who further tests her loyalty.

Luss, who’s a Russian model in real life, showcases a capable screen presence in her debut, as well as the ability to handle the physical rigors of the role. While shady operatives on both sides think they’re pulling the strings, Anna makes it clear that she’s the one in charge.

There are some worthwhile action set pieces along the way. A highlight finds Anna cleaning out a whole restaurant’s worth of villainous henchmen with a combination of fists, bullets, and props before they’ve even been served their entrees.

However, Besson’s nonlinear screenplay doesn’t provide much incentive for emotional investment. As it jumps back and forth between settings, the jumbled chronology seems like a manipulative gimmick designed mainly to disguise the lack of intrigue in the plot.

The slick film struggles to maintain consistent suspense and string together coherent twists while pretty much ignoring the sociopolitical complexities of its Cold War backdrop. And it’s hopeless to stop and ponder the logic.

Almost 30 years after he broke through with La Femme Nikita, Besson returns to familiar territory without as much ambition or narrative firepower. As a vehicle for his latest tough-minded heroine, Anna unfortunately lacks the brains to go with its brawn.

Rated R, 118 minutes.