Prime Video’s Role Play follows in the covert footsteps of Apple TV+’s Ghosted. I’m all for romantic action thrillers starring badass women and their less-competent himbo partners, I just wish recent examples inspired more confidence in the formula. Director Thomas Vincent and writer Seth Owen don’t achieve anything beyond the basic blueprint for “secret identity lover” flicks, hitting the right notes, but lacking invigoration. Role Play hardly spices up the subgenre with its saucy date-night games, never as action-packed as Mr. & Mrs. Smith or as sweetly sincere as the rom-com classics that inspire this undercover tale about finding that special someone worth killing over.
Kaley Cuoco stars as Emma Brackett, a contract killer and mother of two who grows weary of separating her dueling lifestyles. Emma’s adoring husband, Dave (David Oyelowo), isn’t aware of her chosen profession, thinking she’s constantly taking trips to Middle America for business meetings. Emma and Dave attempt to add a little heat to their romance as an anniversary splurge, a hotel rendezvous where they assume fake identities, but Emma’s blown cover puts Dave in danger. So begins Emma’s mission to escape an unseen agency known as the “Sovereign” before Dave and her children find out what mommy does for work the hard way.
Role Play aims for a more serious tone than Ghosted, undercutting the tender relationship upgrades with a backstory more akin to Red Sparrow. It’s not entirely successful as a dire mashup of romantic comedy tweaks on assassination thrillers, coming up short on both romance and thrills. Despite Emma’s hidden cache of identities, Vincent struggles to determine a single personality for his film. Ghosted rests on schmaltz and shootouts; Red Sparrow chooses trauma and revenge. Role Play feels unenthusiastically stuck in the middle. We’ve seen this equation before—a hired killer tries to walk away but puts a target on her back—and Owen’s screenplay doesn’t have much more to add to the conversation.
Cuoco’s convincing as the trained assassin eliminating foes in tactical gear, less so as the suburban housewife cooking weirdly thin pancakes with three measly blueberries plopped on top. Maxime Alexandre’s cinematography doesn’t have to hide much as Cuoco beats down her opponents, or pulls the trigger on another headshot, swiftly efficient like a cold-blooded superstar. Bill Nighy appears as a rival gunman, and he’s as delightful a dapper death-dealer as you’d hope, but what’s more impressive is how Cuoco stays in step with his verbose banter. Nighy exudes all the British charm in the world, and Cuoco easily cuts through his talkative bravado, cementing Emma’s presence as the killer to beat.
Unfortunately, Cuoco’s romantic chemistry with Oyelowo isn’t all sparkly and hypnotic. Oyelowo is a phenomenal actor handed an underwritten role. Yes, that’s the point: Dave Brackett is an everyman who needs Emma to save him. Upend action hero conventions and let the man be helpless for once. Oyelowo delivers as necessary in those moments—Dave watches with panicked eyes as Emma murders without hesitation—but it’s the non-action beats where these Brackett lovebirds flatline. Issues with tonality cast a shadow over performances that cause Emma and Dave’s marriage to lack any real fireworks display, feeling like a copy-paste of too many tense relationship shake-ups we’ve seen in more successful rom-com subversions.
Pardon the low hanging fruit, but Role Play feels like it’s role-playing as its better genre inspirations. It’s competent on the surface, but shortsighted when acting out the possibly fatal scenario. Vincent delivers precisely what you’d expect, and that’s all. Cuoco showcases flashy moves and a slick spy-games attitude, but the film’s a lopsided endeavor where average action beatdowns outweigh any romantic engagement. Role Play and Ghosted go hand-in-hand, which is an unfavorable comparison for either.
Director: Thomas Vincent
Writer: Seth Owen
Starring: Kaley Cuoco, David Oyelowo, Connie Nielsen, Bill Nighy
Release Date: January 12, 2024 (Amazon Prime)
Matt Donato is a Los Angeles-based film critic currently published on SlashFilm, Fangoria, Bloody Disgusting, and anywhere else he’s allowed to spread the gospel of Demon Wind. He is also a member of the Hollywood Critics Association. Definitely don’t feed him after midnight.