Title: Violet & Daisy

Starring: Alexis Bledel, Saoirse Ronan, James Gandolfini and Danny Trejo

Intriguingly mixing elements of an exciting New York City crime thriller with a natural and existential coming-of-age drama can be a difficult process for filmmakers. But first-time director Geoffrey Fletcher, who made a name for himself when he won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for the 2009 drama ‘Precious,’ effortlessly created a fascinating hybrid with his new action crime comedy, ‘Violet & Daisy.’ With the help of lead actresses Saoirse Ronan and Alexis Bledel, the film showcases how two teenagers can hold their wits in the midst of adult-world turmoil, and place their wounded souls into a line of scrutiny by people they never expected-themselves.

‘Violet & Daisy’ follows the two title characters (played by Bledel and Ronan), a pair of gum-chomping, gun-toting teenage assassins who casually snuff out crime figures in New York City. The two see nothing wrong with their lifestyle, and are only bothered by the fact that a concert by their favorite pop idol, Barbie Sunday (Cody Horn), has suddenly been canceled.

Determined to raise cash for some Barbie Sunday dresses to make themselves feel better, the duo is assigned a new, seemingly easy hit by one of their bosses, Russ (Danny Trejo). However, Violet and Daisy come to discover that the job is more humanizing and personal than they expected. The two girls, particularly Daisy, surprisingly find themselves empathizing with their nameless target (James Gandolfini), who is dying alone in his apartment of terminal cancer. He persuades the duo to kill him out of mercy, prompting an odyssey of self-examination that catapults the junior enforcers into a world beyond Barbie Sunday and bullets for pay.

While the the action crime comedy superficially appears to follow two teen assassins who bond over their lack of moral integrity and passion for their job, Fletcher actually incorporated a genuine coming-of-age story that targets a struggle of guilt and innocence against each other. Violet and Daisy are skilled in their duties on the job, as they always get their mark and refuse to let emotions dilute their mission. They also refuse to accept the dangers of their everyday lives, until they meet and start talking to their latest target. It’s only in their emotional interaction with him that they begin to realize the effects that their actions truly have on not only their marks, but their families as well.

Bledel and Ronan were well cast in their respective title roles, and gave naturally emotional performances as they reacted off of each other. While the two actresses were initially shown on screen together, they presented their characters as care-free teens who only cared about the latest music and fashions, and wouldn’t let their jobs define who they were.

But once they started their new job and they started a personal relationship with their target, the two assassins gradually and expressively changed their attitudes toward their chosen profession, particularly Daisy. Ronan infused her character with an admirable naivety, as she believed she could stop the criminal underworld with her innocent demeanor and determination to work through conflicts through impassioned conversation.

Bledel, meanwhile, carefully showcased her versatility as an actress, as she played Violet as having little regard for her professional and personal actions, and the consequences her work has on other people. While Violet becomes somewhat sympathetic to their target’s estrangement from his daughter and the death of his wife after listening to his life story, her undivided focus on her work allows her to remain more objective in their goal. Bledel effortlessly showcases Violet’s painful experiences on the job but her continued happiness with her work, and her ambition to move up in rank has clouded her moral judgment, which drastically separates her from Daisy’s naivety on her views on the world.

Acclaimed production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein created very stylized, gritty sets to showcase the very serious nature of the title characters’ work, and the drastic revelations they experience in just one day as they build an unexpected personal relationship with their target. The majority of the film takes place in the mark’s apartment, which von Brandenstein sparsely decorated with tattered furniture and very little personal effects. The wallpaper clearly showcases the outline of where he once hung pictures of his family, but has since taken down, showcasing his separation from them. Violet and Daisy were often cleverly placed next to the few personal items he still had on display, such as a picture of his daughter, April (Tatiana Maslany).

The scantly decorated apartment mirrors the muted, unglamorous neighbor he lives in, which Violet explores to find a store where she can buy more bullets. She’s forced to hide behind the ever-abundant garbage bins and decrepit buildings to hide from several rival assassins, who were also sent to kill their target, and with whom she’s had a negative experience with in the past. The sets and locations von Brandenstein cleverly created for the film authentically reflect the gritty experiences and lifestyles the title characters lead.

Fletcher created two skilled, but equally fragile and raw, title characters in ‘Violet & Daisy,’ who have a naive outlook on happiness and success. While the two actresses initially presented their characters as care-free teens obsessed with pop culture, who wouldn’t let their dangerous job define who they were, they drastically and instantly matured after seeing first-hand how their profession affects their targets. Bledel and Ronan’s natural evolution of their respective characters was supported by von Brandenstein’s stylized, gritty sets, which showcase the very serious nature of the title characters’ work.

Technical: B+

Written by: Karen Benardello