The Protégé 2021

In the sweltering heat of 1991, international assassin Moody Dutton unexpectedly crossed paths with an innocent child named Anna in the midst of a chaotic gang massacre in Da Nang, Vietnam. Fast forward thirty years, Moody transformed Anna into his protégée and adopted daughter, who now runs a rare bookshop in London, cleverly serving as a front for their covert operations.

After a successful hit in Romania, Anna returns home to find her mentor, Moody, gravely ill in the English manor they share. To commemorate his 70th birthday, she gifts him a cherished guitar that once belonged to the legendary bluesman Albert King. This heartfelt gesture sets the stage for a significant new chapter in their lives, as Moody urges Anna to uncover the whereabouts of Lucas Hayes, a man shrouded in mystery and intrigue.

Driven by curiosity and determination, Anna enlists the help of her reliable contact, Benny. Her search leads her to the cryptic Michael Rembrandt at her bookstore. As she digs deeper, the serenity takes a dark turn: Anna discovers the brutal murders of Moody, her housekeeper, and Benny. In the aftermath, she finds hidden files left by Moody, unveiling a complex web of deception that threatens everything they hold dear.

Among the shocking revelations, Anna learns that Lucas’s father, Edward Hayes (played by David Rintoul), was a target of Moody’s deadly skills during their time in Da Nang. Resolute, Anna makes her way back to Vietnam, convincing her old associate Billy Boy to assist her in confronting Jossino Vohl, Edward’s former business partner. Their meeting with Vohl and his lawyer, Duquet, triggers a harrowing sequence of events, resulting in Anna’s kidnapping and brutal torture as Duquet seeks to get answers about her relentless quest for Lucas.

In an unexpected twist, Rembrandt reenters her life, asserting his innocence in Moody’s murder and encouraging her to abandon her search for Lucas due to the perilous forces she faces. However, Anna, undeterred, fights against her captors, eventually escaping to uncover the shocking truth that Lucas has been left severely disabled, cared for by a mysterious benefactor.

Later, Anna agrees to meet Rembrandt for dinner, where he reiterates his warnings against pursuing his enigmatic employer. Shortly after their encounter, he survives an assassination attempt orchestrated by Duquet. Meanwhile, Anna herself tracks down and eliminates Duquet at his residence, preparing to ambush Rembrandt upon his arrival. However, their undeniable attraction culminates in a passionate moment between them.

As fate would have it, Anna finds herself facing Duquet’s henchman, only to be dramatically saved by Moody, who had orchestrated his own supposed death to mislead the murderer into thinking they’ve succeeded. Uniting once more, they learn that Rembrandt’s employer is hosting a charity gala at a fortified mansion, providing the perfect cover for Anna to infiltrate the event disguised as a waiter. Yet, things take an unexpected turn when she is captured and brought to the employer’s secure bunker, where Moody confronts Edward Hayes, the man behind his own apparent demise years ago.

In a powerful showdown, Moody declares that although he is flawed, Hayes embodies true evil. Determined to find resolution and redemption, he detonates a bomb, bringing their confrontation to a deadly end.

In the aftermath, Anna narrowly escapes, drawn back to Da Nang—the very place where Moody found her as a vulnerable child. Bearing the scars of her traumatic past, she orchestrates her vengeful retribution against the gang leader who ruined her childhood, using the very weapon he once taught her to assemble.

At this critical moment, Rembrandt arrives, leading to an intense standoff between him and Anna, each tense moment thick with anticipation. Just as the tension reaches its peak, a gunshot rings out, leaving Anna to emerge from the building alone, her future hanging by a thread.