Wildcat (2025) Review: Kitty Got (Some) Claws

James Nunn’s Wildcat is a surprisingly well-made action thriller that rises slightly above Kate Beckinsale’s recent fare.

Wildcat starts in medias res, showing Beckinsale’s Ada performing a heist in London alongside her baby brother Edward (Rasmus Hardicker), ex-lover Roman (Lewis Tan, of the recent Safe House) and dependable friend Curtis (Bailey Patrick). They end up robbing the diamonds of mob boss Christina Vine (Alice Krige, of the first Silent Hill movie), who is at war with another gang led by Frasier Mahoney (Charles Dance). Together, they pretty much own East London, and are on the brink of war.

The film then jumps back in time to show us why Ada and company decide to steal the diamonds. It turns out Edward is in debt to some gangsters, which compels the latter to kidnap Ada’s daughter Charlotte (Isabelle Moxley) and ask for their money back. Heartbroken, Ada enlists the help of the aforementioned Roman and Curtis to rob Christina’s diamonds, so they can sell them to the gangsters and get the kid back. But when their actions start a gang war in East London, our protagonists realise that their plan might not be as good as they initially thought.

At first, Wildcat seems to be imitating the tone of early-naughts gang-focused British indies, such as Guy Ritchie’s Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch. The dialogue is snappy, the jokes are frequent and a bit absurd, and some of the secondary characters (such as Ed Kingsley’s Finlay) seem to have been included only as comedic relief. But as the story progresses, the proceedings turn more dramatic and self-serious, with the relationship between Ada and her brother taking centre stage.

It turns out the latter is suffering from PTSD due to the way he was abused by his father as a child, and considers his sister to be his protector. Thus, he gets anxiety attacks from time to time which, rather baffingly, are sometimes treated as humorous. Hardicker is believable and charismatic enough as Edward, but the movie itself doesn’t seem to be sure if it wants the character to be a buffoon or a three-dimensional human who suffers from a serious disorder. It’s a tonal balance that director James Nunn (not to be confused with James Gunn, of course) doesn’t really get.

What about the action, though? Well, it’s pretty satisfying, except for one caveat. Most of the shootouts and fight scenes are well choreographed and exciting, with Tan in particular doing a good job at making his way through dozens of goons. (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: he deserves to be in better things). There are a couple of sweet explosions, a believable recreation of a violent and gang-ridden neighbourhood and suitably realistic blood spurts. What’s the caveat, then? Unfortunately, it’s pretty obvious that Beckinsale’s stunt double takes care of the majority of her fight scenes, so much so that her face is usually covered by her hair whenever she has to jump, punch, kick or do something acrobatic.

It’s disappointing, then, that Wildcat features a leading lady that either didn’t have the time to perform her own stunts, or wasn’t able to. Especially because the rest of the admittedly solid cast seem to be giving it their all –except for Kriege and especially Dance, who are wasted as pretty stereotypical villains. The story itself is nothing to write home about, but the action choreography is solid, the special effects are good enough, the humour is on point, and the dialogue is surprisingly not generic. Wildcat isn’t as wild as it could have been, but compared to many of Beckinsale’s other recent films, it’s entertaining enough.

Wildcat will be released in U.S. theaters and on digital platforms on November 25, 2025.