Plot Summary

Anna centers on the story of a highly skilled and enigmatic female assassin whose life is built on deception, shifting identities, and carefully constructed illusions. Anna Poliatova is not an ordinary contract killer; beneath her striking beauty lies one of the most feared government assassins in the world. At just twenty-four years old, no one truly knows who Anna is—or how many different women exist within her.

The film constantly challenges the audience’s perception of identity. Is Anna a simple market vendor in Moscow, a glamorous fashion model in Paris, a ruthless professional assassin, or a calculated intelligence operative playing a long strategic game? Each version of her life peels away to reveal another, much like a Russian Matryoshka doll, reinforcing the film’s central metaphor of hidden selves nested within one another.

As the narrative moves fluidly across timelines and locations, Anna is pulled between rival intelligence agencies, forced to manipulate both the KGB and the CIA while pursuing her own freedom. Her relationships are defined by mistrust, power struggles, and survival, raising constant questions about loyalty, control, and the true cost of independence.

Directed by Luc Besson, Anna delivers a sleek blend of espionage, action, and psychological intrigue. Sasha Luss leads the film with a physically demanding and emotionally restrained performance, supported by Luke Evans as Russian agent Alex Tchenkov and Cillian Murphy as a calculating CIA operative. Helen Mirren stands out as Olga, a high-ranking KGB officer whose cold authority adds weight and tension to the story.

Stylish, fast-paced, and built on narrative twists, Anna explores themes of identity, autonomy, and manipulation, ultimately portraying a woman determined to outsmart the systems that seek to own her.