Movie review
September 22, 2022 · 91 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The Enforcer is a 2022 action crime drama in which Miami mob enforcer Cuda (Antonio Banderas) discovers his femme fatale boss Estelle (Kate Bosworth) has expanded into cybersex trafficking and risks everything to save a young runaway girl (Zolee Griggs) he has befriended, seeking personal redemption by dismantling the criminal group he helped build. The story is a straightforward noir-style thriller centered on individual atonement, protection of the vulnerable, and violent conflict against criminal villains. Casting includes ethnic diversity consistent with a modern urban setting and a female antagonist described in some reviews as bisexual, but these elements function as background details in a gritty exploitation plot without identity signaling, competence tropes, or thematic emphasis.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Enforcer.
Woke representation / casting
Casting features a Black actress (Zolee Griggs) as the young runaway victim central to the hero's redemption arc and a white female lead (Kate Bosworth) as the powerful criminal boss, described in some reviews as bisexual with a female associate. Mojean Aria (Iranian-Australian heritage) plays the young male street-fighter protégé. These read as incidental to the gritty Miami crime setting and story needs (vulnerable girl requiring protection, female villain in exploitation plot) rather than audience-visible identity signaling, quota-style prominence, or mismatched "brilliant" competence tropes.
Woke political dialogue
No activist, social-justice, or identity-focused dialogue; conversations center on criminal debts, violence, loyalty, and the trafficking operation as a plot driver in standard crime-thriller style.
Identity-driven story themes
The narrative is a classic individual redemption story: a tough enforcer with a conscience sacrifices his position and safety to protect a vulnerable young girl from criminal sex trafficking by his boss. Anti-exploitation elements exist but are framed through personal moral choice and violent action against villains, not systemic identity politics, patriarchy critiques, race/gender messaging, or activist reframing. The young female victim role emphasizes need for rescue, not empowerment.
Western institutional / cultural critique
No portrayals critiquing Western institutions, toxic masculinity, traditional gender roles, family structures, Christianity, or capitalism as flawed systems. The story stays within criminal underworld conflict and personal atonement; the female boss is a villain running a trafficking ring, not an empowerment figure. Ordinary historical or crime-based resistance to abuse of power is not scored here.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. This is an original screenplay with no established characters, source material, canon, or real historical figures being altered for ideological or identity-driven reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No notable social media, news, or public complaints accusing the film of pushing woke, DEI, identity politics, or left-wing messaging. Limited release drew standard genre criticism about quality and predictability, not agenda. Pro-DEI or "not diverse enough" critiques are absent and irrelevant per rules.
Creator track record context
Key producers are from Millennium Media/Nu Boyana with commercial action track records and low cached woke scores (1-4/100) showing no activist or identity-driven history. Writer W. Peter Iliff has decades of mainstream thriller credits with no such pattern. Director is a commercials veteran with a feature debut and no political profile. Producer Natalie Burn has discussed strong female action roles and environmental awareness philanthropy (mild liberal-leaning signals per calibration); other listed producers and executives show business-focused commercial work without activist records.
Production
