Review: Milla Jovovich Headlines Gritty but Uneven Thriller Protector

Protector stars Milla Jovovich as Nikki Halsted, a special-forces soldier who returns home after her husband's death and must rescue her daughter Chloe when she is abducted by a trafficking ring called 'The Syndicate.' Director Adrian Grünberg and writer Bong-Seob Mun lean into a gender-swapped Taken setup, but the film makes bold structural choices—omitting a key sequence and ending with a twist that recontextualizes much of the story.

The movie establishes Nikki's strained relationship with her teen, cuts to Chloe's abduction at a bar, and follows Nikki as she traces the trail to a Syndicate-controlled brothel called Club 30. Much of the action that would normally be a centerpiece happens off-screen: Nikki burns the club and later sets a 72-hour timer on her watch when the lead grows cold.

A lengthy subplot has local police turning their attention to Nikki, and Matthew Modine appears in a small role as her former commander.

milla jovovich, protector, nikki halsted, chloe, adrian grünberg, bong-seob mun, the syndicate, club 30, taken, trafficking ring