Atomic Blonde
2017
Cast: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella
Genre: Action Thriller
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $100 million
Plot: An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the cold war to investigate the murder of a fellow agent & recover a missing list of agents
''All Style, Some Action & Little Substance, But Held Together By Blonde Theron''
Atomic Blonde is a stylish - yet uneven action thriller that is made watchable by the set pieces and is punctuated by a strong performance by Charlize Theron - yet it is hamstrung by an uninspired script and not very enticing story that leaves something to be desired. It operates on a standard level for an actioner, but the film doesn't attempt to offer anything new and is basically a female version of John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves. Which isn't that much of a surprise as the director of this film, David Leitch, was the co-director of Wick.
Taking place during a time of the collapse of the Soviet empire, a female C.I.A agent finds herself double-crossed, as she tries to escape from Berlin, Germany with a dossier that the bad guys want to get their hands on.
The story is told in flashback, but the flipping and flopping of storylines and some uninspired scenes also makes it dull in places to endure.
Atomic Blonde is also undone by lacking any emotional investment in the characters and the complicated and messy plot that is difficult to untangle, and thus making it difficult to fully engage myself in. With a more streamlined approach that feels less anaemic, it would have suited the film better, as well as make it more accessible, entertaining, as well as compelling.
Yet its strong merits lie in the form of Theron herself and the action sequences: much like in Mad Max and Aeon Flux, she has proven her worth in capably carrying an action film on her shoulders, more than competently and thus, she is a worthy addition to the genre. & if ever anyone, or be it Nintendo fan needed further convincing as to why Charlize Theron would be the ideal/my choice of actress to play the lone intergalactic bounty hunter heroine, Samus Aran in a proposed live-action Metroid film, based on the sci-fi video game series, it is exemplified here, in Atomic Blonde, as well as similar outings in Prometheus, Aeon Flux and Mad Max, as she shoots, fights and battles her way on screen. Lorraine is tough, strong and Theron is thoroughly believable in her role that she manages to do most of her own stunts & that she isn't afraid to give it her all. The best moments of the film revolve around her character managing to take down the bad guys and gaining the upper hand over them (probably the scenes that best illustrates this are the ones that take place on a staircase and in the kitchen). Of all the supports, James McAvoy fares better - if not as much, as Percival and playing against type and he charismatically revels in his role. It may not be his best performance, but McAvoy is head and shoulders above the rest of the supporting cast; however, it also felt as though the writer and director didn't do enough with his character and to give him more screentime.
The film bounces around and struggles to find any consistency and balance and it felt as though it lacked a good chunk to make it land with real impact and to blow me away. The film kicks into gear, during several action setpieces - ranging from unrelenting to brutal, but Atomic Blonde never ignites or explodes, due to the pacing, which for me, was what really affected my overall enjoyment of the movie and to maintain its momentum all the way through.
The main fault is Leitch opts for style over substance; coupled with a tedium and predictable story that acquires little depth and range, he cannot manage to establish and flesh out a plot and a set of characters fully. Luckily, the film's saving graces are the action and Theron herself, whose efforts were impressive to see, and she just about salvaged it... but even she deserved a better and more potent and explosive story to the one that we got here.
Final Verdict:
A spy thriller that doubles up as an actioner, with its 1980s influences, there isn't a sense that there is anything significant at stake for Lorraine, and with that, it lacks tension when the film needed it. It could have been and should have been incredible... but instead, it was and is all right.
Regardless, Atomic Blonde outweighs its negatives in the story and in through Charlize Theron's portrayal offering and presenting a female lead, who is not only beautiful but also smart, driven and utterly fearless in a way that is both refreshing and welcoming to see.
Overall:
2017
Cast: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella
Genre: Action Thriller
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $100 million
Plot: An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the cold war to investigate the murder of a fellow agent & recover a missing list of agents
''All Style, Some Action & Little Substance, But Held Together By Blonde Theron''
Atomic Blonde is a stylish - yet uneven action thriller that is made watchable by the set pieces and is punctuated by a strong performance by Charlize Theron - yet it is hamstrung by an uninspired script and not very enticing story that leaves something to be desired. It operates on a standard level for an actioner, but the film doesn't attempt to offer anything new and is basically a female version of John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves. Which isn't that much of a surprise as the director of this film, David Leitch, was the co-director of Wick.
Taking place during a time of the collapse of the Soviet empire, a female C.I.A agent finds herself double-crossed, as she tries to escape from Berlin, Germany with a dossier that the bad guys want to get their hands on.
The story is told in flashback, but the flipping and flopping of storylines and some uninspired scenes also makes it dull in places to endure.
Atomic Blonde is also undone by lacking any emotional investment in the characters and the complicated and messy plot that is difficult to untangle, and thus making it difficult to fully engage myself in. With a more streamlined approach that feels less anaemic, it would have suited the film better, as well as make it more accessible, entertaining, as well as compelling.
Yet its strong merits lie in the form of Theron herself and the action sequences: much like in Mad Max and Aeon Flux, she has proven her worth in capably carrying an action film on her shoulders, more than competently and thus, she is a worthy addition to the genre. & if ever anyone, or be it Nintendo fan needed further convincing as to why Charlize Theron would be the ideal/my choice of actress to play the lone intergalactic bounty hunter heroine, Samus Aran in a proposed live-action Metroid film, based on the sci-fi video game series, it is exemplified here, in Atomic Blonde, as well as similar outings in Prometheus, Aeon Flux and Mad Max, as she shoots, fights and battles her way on screen. Lorraine is tough, strong and Theron is thoroughly believable in her role that she manages to do most of her own stunts & that she isn't afraid to give it her all. The best moments of the film revolve around her character managing to take down the bad guys and gaining the upper hand over them (probably the scenes that best illustrates this are the ones that take place on a staircase and in the kitchen). Of all the supports, James McAvoy fares better - if not as much, as Percival and playing against type and he charismatically revels in his role. It may not be his best performance, but McAvoy is head and shoulders above the rest of the supporting cast; however, it also felt as though the writer and director didn't do enough with his character and to give him more screentime.
The film bounces around and struggles to find any consistency and balance and it felt as though it lacked a good chunk to make it land with real impact and to blow me away. The film kicks into gear, during several action setpieces - ranging from unrelenting to brutal, but Atomic Blonde never ignites or explodes, due to the pacing, which for me, was what really affected my overall enjoyment of the movie and to maintain its momentum all the way through.
The main fault is Leitch opts for style over substance; coupled with a tedium and predictable story that acquires little depth and range, he cannot manage to establish and flesh out a plot and a set of characters fully. Luckily, the film's saving graces are the action and Theron herself, whose efforts were impressive to see, and she just about salvaged it... but even she deserved a better and more potent and explosive story to the one that we got here.
Final Verdict:
A spy thriller that doubles up as an actioner, with its 1980s influences, there isn't a sense that there is anything significant at stake for Lorraine, and with that, it lacks tension when the film needed it. It could have been and should have been incredible... but instead, it was and is all right.
Regardless, Atomic Blonde outweighs its negatives in the story and in through Charlize Theron's portrayal offering and presenting a female lead, who is not only beautiful but also smart, driven and utterly fearless in a way that is both refreshing and welcoming to see.
Overall:
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