Kite: Review, Story, Cast, Episodes, Release Date, Budget & More

Kite is a action thriller film released in 2014, directed by Ralph Ziman and based on the infamous 1998 Japanese anime OVA of the same name. This live-action adaptation stars India Eisley as Sawa, a young assassin seeking revenge in a dystopian near-future society. The film also features Samuel L. Jackson as Karl Aker, Sawa’s handler and mentor, alongside Callan McAuliffe in a supporting role. Set in a grimy, crime-ridden urban landscape where corruption runs rampant and law enforcement has crumbled, Kite presents a dark vision of societal collapse. The production attempted to translate the anime’s ultraviolent aesthetic into live-action while toning down the original’s extremely graphic content. Shot primarily in South Africa, the film features stylized action sequences, parkour-influenced fight choreography, and a bleak atmosphere that reflects its source material’s nihilistic worldview. Despite connections to cult classic anime, the adaptation struggled to find its audience, generating mixed reactions from both fans of the original and general moviegoers.

Kite: Release Date, Story, Plot, Episodes, Cast, Actors Salary, Actors Net Worth, Budget, OTT Response, Trailer, Songs, Awards, Review, Ratings & More

Kite Storyline

Kite follows Sawa, a young woman trained as an assassin after witnessing her parents’ brutal murder as a child. Raised and manipulated by Karl Aker, a corrupt detective who may be connected to her family’s death, Sawa has been conditioned into a lethal weapon used to eliminate targets in a society where traditional justice has failed. She operates in a futuristic city plagued by economic collapse, human trafficking, and unchecked criminal enterprises. As Sawa executes assignments with cold efficiency, she begins questioning her handler’s true motivations and the circumstances surrounding her parents’ deaths. When she encounters Oburi, another young operative with his own tragic past, they form an unlikely alliance. Together, they start uncovering disturbing truths about Karl’s manipulation and the conspiracy that destroyed their families. As Sawa pieces together her fragmented memories and realizes the extent of her exploitation, she must decide whether to continue as a controlled weapon or reclaim her agency through violent confrontation with those who shaped her into a killer.

Kite Cast, Crew, Role, Salary, Remuneration & Net Worth

Here are the complete details of actors and actresses names in the Web Series.

1.India Eisley as Sawa

2.Annabel Linder as Elderly Woman

3.Jaco Muller as Mikhal Kratsov

4.Christina Storm as Sawa’s Mother

5.Callan McAuliffe as Oburi

6.Jane Van Der Westhuizen as Urchin Girl

7.Samuel L. Jackson as Lieutenant Karl Aker

8.Deon Lotz as Detective Prinsloo

9.Carl Beukes as Vic Thornhill

10.Craig Macrae as Thornhill Bodyguards

Kite Web Series Awards

Kite Review

Kite struggles to effectively translate its anime source material into compelling live-action cinema, resulting in a film that satisfies neither devoted fans nor casual viewers. India Eisley commits physically to the demanding role, performing action sequences with credible intensity, though the script provides limited opportunity for emotional depth beyond brooding anger. Samuel L. Jackson brings his characteristic presence but feels underutilized in a morally murky role that needed more development. The action choreography shows creativity, blending gunplay with acrobatic movement, though editing sometimes obscures rather than enhances these sequences.

The film’s dystopian setting looks appropriately grim but lacks the distinctive visual style that made the anime memorable. By softening the original’s extreme violence and controversial elements, the adaptation loses much of what made the source material impactful, yet remains too dark and nihilistic for mainstream audiences. The revenge narrative follows predictable beats without the psychological complexity needed to elevate familiar material. While technically competent and occasionally visually striking, Kite ultimately feels like a missed opportunity, too sanitized for fans expecting the anime’s transgressive intensity, yet too bleak and underdeveloped to work as standalone action cinema.

Disclaimer: The Data is collected from various sources and some from our own research. These data can be estimated and Primes World does not make any claims about the authenticity of the data.