Vague Visages’ The Painter review contains minor spoilers. Kimani Ray Smith’s 2024 movie features Charlie Weber, Jon Voight and Madison Bailey. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews, along with cast/character summaries, streaming guides and complete soundtrack song listings.

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A standard action flick doesn’t necessarily require an emotional investment from the audience, but it does need a tight script to be more than a Cinemax-style thriller. The Painter, directed by Kimani Ray Smith (Horror Noire) and written by Brian Buccellato (Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders), seemingly relies on star power, or rather somewhat familiar industry names, to offset its obvious flaws. The 100-minute drama suffers most with its misuse of talented actress Madison Bailey (Outer Banks), who displays her potential in critical scenes but never takes over the film, due to the script’s flimsy structural design. And so The Painter’s obvious lack of emotional stakes forces the audience to invest solely in the action sequences and franchise potential.

The Painter stars Charlie Weber (How to Get Away with Murder) as Peter, an ex-CIA operative who gets caught up in a game of advanced psychological warfare. Seventeen years after a traumatic event, the protagonist lives a quiet life in Cascade, Oregon, where he’s known as a painter named Mark. When a teenage girl, Sophia (Bailey), comes knockin’ and claims to be Peter’s daughter, the duo connects the dots of the past while battling against black ops assassins looking for classified files. Meanwhile, Peter’s sketchy father, Byrne (Jon Voight), keeps a close eye on everyone after eight federal agents unsuccessfully raid the protagonist’s rural home.

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The Painter’s first act places special importance on film school-style sound effects but never establishes a sense of atmosphere. Meaning, the direction and cinematography feels stale, at least until retro interior designs add some visual flair. With a little more color — literally and figuratively — The Painter might appeal to fans of throwback action flicks from the 70s and 80s. As it stands, though, Smith’s film feels like a 90s-era VHS tape hidden behind mightier productions. Thrillers from the early 2020s like I’m Your Woman (2020) and To the Moon (2021) successfully embrace retro aesthetics, which in turn benefits the lead performances. In The Painter, however, there’s no life behind all the tough talk from the main players. Furthermore, some of the final act twists land clumsily — along with stiff banter between two female investigators — resulting in some head-scratching scenes that detract from Voight’s rather impressive performance and Bailey’s finest moments.

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Perhaps The Painter lacks flavor because Weber’s lead performance reminds of a game-managing quarterback; he’s fine — neither bad nor good. And this undoubtedly correlates with the script’s character development/character isolation across the board, which means that Peter never gets to bond with Sophia, and vice versa, which then keeps the audience at a distance.

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Bailey elevates several of The Painter’s crucial scenes, primarily with her stoic demeanor, watchful eyes and need to play it BIG as the power dynamics shift. When paired with Voight — who delivers a straight-forward baddie performance — Bailey makes one forget about the film’s thinly-written supporting characters, such as Ghost (Max Montesi giving it his all) — a music-loving assassin who feels like a poor man’s version of Michael Fassbender’s titular antihero from David Fincher’s The Killer (2023).

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The Painter seems destined for Tubi, where it may indeed earn a fanbase. The film clearly sets up a sequel, so a second franchise installment might be more creatively ambitious, even if its existence on paper doesn’t feel earned. But in the era of John Wick, there’s always industry potential for directors with the ability to execute believable battle sequences. However, an actress like Bailey needs more than just a film/game manager; she needs directors and screenwriters with vision beyond the core concepts.

The Painter released in January 2024 via Paramount Movies. 

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.

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