
Sam Carlson is a hard, highly trained bodyguard who takes a job protecting Zoe Tanner, a grieving young heiress. A team of attackers storms the family home in Morocco, and Sam must lead Zoe through Casablanca while killers and corrupt police hunt them. The chase is tied to a huge mining deal and a rival company that wants Zoe's shares to lose value. The movie has a tense, rough tone with close fights and little humor.
The story puts three women at the center as a fighter, an heiress, and a company chief. Sam teaches Zoe to fight back, and Zoe grows from a reckless rich girl into someone who helps save herself and her stepmother. Most of the armed enemies are men, while the one helpful male bodyguard soon dies. The female bond and strong-woman theme run through the main plot, but the movie does not turn them into speeches about politics or modern activist ideas.
Community feedback
Was our 43% Woke rating accurate?
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Close.
Woke representation / casting
Sam is an elite female bodyguard, Rima is the mining company chief, and Zoe is its young owner. The three women drive the plot and save one another, while most armed men are enemies or are quickly removed. Sam's skill has a strong reason because she is based on real bodyguard Jacquie Davis and trained for the job. The female-led pattern is still clear and central.
44%
Woke political dialogue
Not present. The characters talk about survival, kidnapping, police corruption, and a mining deal. They do not make modern political or activist speeches.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
The story follows three women who grow stronger through danger. Sam teaches Zoe to fight back, and Zoe helps save Rima in the end. The plot builds a mother-like bond between Sam and Zoe and ends with Sam agreeing to call the daughter she gave up. Female strength and sisterhood shape the main arc, though the characters do not debate gender or identity.
42%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Not present. The corrupt police and mining rivalry serve the kidnapping plot. The movie does not turn them into a modern attack on Western culture, capitalism, family, religion, or traditional values.
0%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. Sam is an original fictional character loosely inspired by Jacquie Davis. The movie does not change an established character, source, or real event for identity reasons.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
One visible audience review complained that the movie fills its story with corrupt, cruel, or stupid men while women beat trained killers. The complaint also called Zoe's sudden combat and computer skill impossible. Broader reviews mainly attacked the weak plot rather than woke or left-wing ideas. No large anti-woke campaign or news dispute appeared.
8%
Creator track record context
Writer-director Vicky Jewson and writer Rupert Whitaker have clear records of making and supporting female-led action stories. Producer-star Noomi Rapace has a stronger feminist public record. Several producers backed female-focused projects, but many other producers and the casting director have little or no activist history. The mixed group gives moderate supporting context.
44%
Production