Fans of Kate Beckinsale have been patiently awaiting the release of her new action spy thriller Canary Black since the film was initially announced at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France all the way back in 2022. Now that the movie has finally reached a streaming home via Amazon Prime Video, critics and audiences alike have been diving in, anxious for answers about the fate of CIA operative Avery Graves, as well as her civilian husband. By the time you reach the end of Canary Black, you may find yourself with a wide array of new questions, however, as the film’s explosive conclusion leaves a few things open to viewer interpretation. Luckily, we’ve got you covered, with a quick and comprehensive guide to the movie, its themes and most importantly, a full breakdown of Canary Black‘s thrilling conclusion.
Needless to say, there will be major spoilers ahead for the entirety of Canary Black, as well as some speculation regarding the future of the franchise. As always, please feel free to bookmark this page and return later if you’re not yet caught up on the film, as much of the tension in the final act relies on the viewer going in with clear eyes and an open mind. With no further preamble, let’s dive right in, and unpack the plot and high intensity action of this gripping new film.
What Happens in ‘Canary Black’?
Canary Black was directed by the same filmmaker responsible for the classic action-adventure movie Taken, starring Liam Neeson. As a result, the movie follows a similar structure to the 2008 revenge thriller, with the added benefit of tons of twists and shocking unforeseen plot developments. As you likely could have guessed from the film’s trailer, Canary Black centers on a special agent named Avery Graves, who was groomed from her teenage years to become an unstoppable killing machine. Despite her quiet suburban life with her oblivious husband, Graves has garnered a serious talent as a fixer, making her an invaluable asset to her government and an instrument of fear to terrorist cells across the planet.
As the film’s narrative kicks off, Graves’ husband is kidnapped, sending her on a personal mission which leads her directly into the throes of a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. Before long, Avery comes to learn that she must place everything on the line, including her job, professional relationships and even her allegiance to her country, as she punches, kicks, slashes and shoots her way through droves of villains. The terrorists who have abducted Avery’s husband David are led by a Russian criminal named Konrad Breznov, who demands that Agent Graves locate, steal and hand over a dangerous CIA computer program titled “Canary Black” if she wants to see her husband unharmed. When she finally does procure the program and meet with Breznov, however, things take a serious turn for the worse.
What Is the Canary Black Program?
After consulting with her boss, senior official Jarvis Hedlund, Avery Graves learns that the Canary Black program is a directory of blackmail materials compiled on government officials. While Graves recognizes the importance of the materials, she weighs this against the safety of her husband, who serves as her only loved one and true family. She ultimately makes the choice to steal the sensitive data as a bargaining chip. In one of many twists to arise in the final act of the film, Graves comes to learn that the code for Canary Black is not a blackmail list at all, but is actually a computer virus which can be used to shut down and corrupt internet access in various parts of the world. Whoever is in possession of the drive containing the virus would thus have the ability to launch crippling infrastructure strikes on banks, world governments and other important devices.
Once Breznov gets his hands on the virus, he plans to blackmail the richest nations on Earth into transferring billions of dollars over to him before unleashing it on those who refuse to pay. His plan also sees him attempting to leak the origins of Canary Black as a private CIA experiment, in the hopes that other nations wage war on the global superpower. Throughout the film, there are a number of hints that suggest Breznov is fed up by the global oligarchy, which explains why he has come to dislike America’s ultra-capitalist society. To make matters worse, Graves comes to learn that Canary Black was so top-secret that even the United States president had no idea it existed, which means the higher-ups at the CIA are poised to take her out to keep their doomsday device a secret.
Does Agent Graves Save Her Husband?
Luckily, Agent Graves manages to best Breznov and his team, liberating her husband David from captivity. Of course, like many things in Canary Black, this comes with a twist. As it turns out, Graves was unknowingly in something of a Mr. & Mrs. Smith situation with her husband, as David reveals he is secretly an international assassin known only as Kali. As it turns out, he is the very assassin whom Graves had been investigating at the start of the movie, meaning his oblivious suburban act was nothing but a cruel facade. To make matters worse, David confesses to have taken on $20 million in debt from the Russian gangsters, which explains why he had become such an easy mark for Breznov and his terrorists.
As Canary Black comes to a close, Avery comes to accept David’s true identity, though the jury is still out on whether or not she can truly trust him. Due to the fast-moving pace of the film, there’s not a lot of time to digest what their future will hold when they return to the states, though this dynamic could certainly be explored further if the film ever expands into a full-on franchise with sequels and spin-offs.
Will There Be a ‘Canary Black’ Sequel?
For now, there are no Canary Black sequels in active development, though the future of the franchise will likely be determined by the success of the newly-released film. Either way, Canary Black‘s final moments seem to set the stage for additional outings, meaning more films within the franchise are certainly possible from a narrative perspective. In the movie’s final moments, Agent Graves manages to save her husband, stop the terrorists and secure the computer virus before anyone can actually use it. Despite her heroic acts, the higher-ups at the CIA arrest Graves and attempt to try her for treason, due to the critical role she played in the release of the Canary Black program.
Just when it seems like the CIA will dispose of her entirely, a mysterious woman named Elizabeth Mills steps forward to recruit Graves into a new spy agency with even higher clearance than the CIA. This new agency, titled MC6, is designed for only the most significant global threats, meaning Graves’ herculean effort against these terrorists will soon become a part of her 9-5 work day. If enough viewers flood Amazon Prime Video with watch hours on Canary Black and provide positive reviews on sites such as Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, it seems likely that future films will see Graves taking on Mission: Impossible style assignments alongside Mills and MC6, while patching up her relationship with her husband.
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