When a major action movie sets a world premiere at a festival months in advance of its actual release, there's usually good reason to assume that it'll be a knockout. The thinking goes like this- if a studio and a director are confident enough to show off their product to thousands of moviegoers and critics, they tend to have something great on their hands. So when Focus Features announced that John Wick co-director David Leitch's Atomic Blonde would debut at this year's South by Southwest Film Festival, anticipation reached a fever pitch. The trailer was sensational, and it seemed like we would have a kick-ass action heroine to match Wick and James Bond. Then the film premiered, and much to my surprise, reactions were fairly muted. That goes against one of the primary trends from festivals- hyperbolic reactions. Every movie that audiences at Sundance or SXSW get to see is always the greatest thing since sliced bread, and anything less than "It's the best movie ever!" is worth raising an eyebrow.
So it's safe to say that I had a healthy level of skepticism for Atomic Blonde, and as reviews continued to pour in over the next few months, there seemed to be no clear consensus. But as perhaps the last big film of the summer (sorry, Dark Tower), whatever doubts I may have had were overshadowed by how excited I was to see Charlize Theron in such an awesome role. Ultimately, this film is something of a mixed bag- it's stylish, cool, and often spectacularly entertaining, but it takes quite a while to get off the ground. Atomic Blonde takes the neon-drenched settings and hyper-choreographed action of the Wick franchise and polishes it to an impressive degree, delivering a visual feast for the senses and a great vehicle for Theron. But the film often can't decide if it wants to be a spy film, a detective noir, or a straight-up action adrenaline rush, and the story suffers because of it. Thanks to a rocky first half, Atomic Blonde never rises to greatness, and yet there's enough to recommend here when all of the pieces come together. And plus, these action scenes are nothing short of top-notch- Lorraine Broughton puts John Wick and James Bond to shame.
It's 1989 in Berlin, and the Cold War is about to end with the fall of the wall that divided East and West Berlin for decades. James Gascionge (Sam Hargrave) is an intelligence agent with a list that contains top-secret information involving British and American operatives, but he's quickly eliminated by a KGB agent who also desperately wants the list for his own nefarious reasons. MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is dispatched to Berlin by her superiors with the goal of retrieving the list and getting out before all hell breaks loose. In Berlin, Lorraine will come into contact with a variety of individuals, including David Percival (James McAvoy), an agent with shady motivations, Delphine Lasalle (Sofia Boutella), a French operative who is way over her head, and Spyglass (Eddie Marsan), a rogue KGB officer with special knowledge of the list. As Lorraine weaves her way through this mess, allegiances will be tested and she'll be left wondering who can be trusted after all.
The main criticism waged against Atomic Blonde is that it's far too complicated, lacking the simplicity of John Wick and other recent shoot-em-up action extravaganzas. And while this is certainly true, I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. After all, despite months of thinking that this would be essentially a female version of Bond/Wick, isn't it nice that we got something completely different altogether? David Leitch still knows how to shoot action like it's nobody's business, but the plot is never rudimentary or predictable. If other spy and hitman films exist in their own contained universe of principles and order, Atomic Blonde's specialty is mistrust. You never know which character is telling the truth, which character is secretly stabbing Lorraine in the back. Can we even trust Lorraine? Who are the good guys and bad guys here? There are no easy answers, and after a while, it's fun to get swept up in the mayhem.
But the main key to Atomic Blonde's success lies in its physicality, both in terms of its violence and the impact that it has on its characters. Unlike virtually every other action hero/heroine known to mankind, Lorraine Broughton gets hurt. And yeah, she gets hurt badly. When we first meet Lorraine, she's covered in bruises, beaten to a pulp after just over a week in the madhouse that is Berlin. Everything that happens in Atomic Blonde has a brutal effect on its characters, and this film ultimately has more in common with the Raid series than anything produced on American shores. It exists in its own neon-drenched 80s noir universe, but it's still grounded in a deeply painful sense of reality and tragedy. And of course, all the credit has to go to Charlize Theron, who gives her all to the character. Lorraine is smart, witty, and cold as ice, and I'll be surprised if audience members don't want to go on more adventures with her by the time the credits roll.
Theron is backed up by a stellar supporting cast, highlighted by the ever-manic James McAvoy. He's having quite a year, and Percival is one of the funnier and more intriguing supporting characters in the movie. Boutella, Eddie Marsan, and John Goodman are impressive as well, but the real co-star here is David Leitch, the director who brings such a distinct flair and an incredible control of action to the table. Leitch is less a storyteller than he is a filmmaker, which in this instance, isn't exactly a bad thing. You've probably already heard about an astonishing tracking shot down an apartment building staircase, and yeah, that scene is just as jaw-dropping as advertised. In fact, it's when the movie turns around completely, and Leitch puts so much faith in his bone-crunching battles that they often overshadow any of the minor flaws. They're physical and vicious, and nothing short of amazing. It's worth the price of admission alone to see Charlize Theron beating up some Russian spies.
Working with a bigger budget than the original Wick (which was originally a direct-to-VOD release before Lionsgate realized it was good), Leitch is able to assemble a task force of talented people to make Atomic Blonde as technically stunning as humanly possible. The score by Tyler Bates is great, but his music takes a back seat to the soundtrack, which features 80s classics from The Clash, George Michael, and Depeche Mode. Jonathan Sela's cinematography is also very strong, giving us an excellent picture of the grimy days of Berlin in 1989. But for all of my praise for this film, I can't overstate enough- this film takes a long time to get going. The first half is a bumpy ride, and Leitch struggles to find the right pacing to tell this story. Kurt Johnstad is best known for writing the 300 films, and that shows in this one. There's a lot of stagnation in this movie, with people standing around and waiting for things to happen. It's still fun enough to watch, but it takes too long for everything to click into place.
That being said, when Atomic Blonde does come together, it's quite a ride. It's not the perfect, masterful franchise starter that we probably all hoped for, but it gets the job done and then some. The action sequences are beautifully intense, Theron is gold as always, and Leitch establishes a dark and playful world that works really well. For fans of the spy genre, or people who just like watching dazzling fight scenes that must have been insane to film, this is the movie for you. And in a late summer season with not much to offer, it's a flawed, but slickly fun treat.
THE FINAL GRADE: B (7.2/10)
Images: IMDB/Universal
So it's safe to say that I had a healthy level of skepticism for Atomic Blonde, and as reviews continued to pour in over the next few months, there seemed to be no clear consensus. But as perhaps the last big film of the summer (sorry, Dark Tower), whatever doubts I may have had were overshadowed by how excited I was to see Charlize Theron in such an awesome role. Ultimately, this film is something of a mixed bag- it's stylish, cool, and often spectacularly entertaining, but it takes quite a while to get off the ground. Atomic Blonde takes the neon-drenched settings and hyper-choreographed action of the Wick franchise and polishes it to an impressive degree, delivering a visual feast for the senses and a great vehicle for Theron. But the film often can't decide if it wants to be a spy film, a detective noir, or a straight-up action adrenaline rush, and the story suffers because of it. Thanks to a rocky first half, Atomic Blonde never rises to greatness, and yet there's enough to recommend here when all of the pieces come together. And plus, these action scenes are nothing short of top-notch- Lorraine Broughton puts John Wick and James Bond to shame.
It's 1989 in Berlin, and the Cold War is about to end with the fall of the wall that divided East and West Berlin for decades. James Gascionge (Sam Hargrave) is an intelligence agent with a list that contains top-secret information involving British and American operatives, but he's quickly eliminated by a KGB agent who also desperately wants the list for his own nefarious reasons. MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is dispatched to Berlin by her superiors with the goal of retrieving the list and getting out before all hell breaks loose. In Berlin, Lorraine will come into contact with a variety of individuals, including David Percival (James McAvoy), an agent with shady motivations, Delphine Lasalle (Sofia Boutella), a French operative who is way over her head, and Spyglass (Eddie Marsan), a rogue KGB officer with special knowledge of the list. As Lorraine weaves her way through this mess, allegiances will be tested and she'll be left wondering who can be trusted after all.
The main criticism waged against Atomic Blonde is that it's far too complicated, lacking the simplicity of John Wick and other recent shoot-em-up action extravaganzas. And while this is certainly true, I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. After all, despite months of thinking that this would be essentially a female version of Bond/Wick, isn't it nice that we got something completely different altogether? David Leitch still knows how to shoot action like it's nobody's business, but the plot is never rudimentary or predictable. If other spy and hitman films exist in their own contained universe of principles and order, Atomic Blonde's specialty is mistrust. You never know which character is telling the truth, which character is secretly stabbing Lorraine in the back. Can we even trust Lorraine? Who are the good guys and bad guys here? There are no easy answers, and after a while, it's fun to get swept up in the mayhem.
But the main key to Atomic Blonde's success lies in its physicality, both in terms of its violence and the impact that it has on its characters. Unlike virtually every other action hero/heroine known to mankind, Lorraine Broughton gets hurt. And yeah, she gets hurt badly. When we first meet Lorraine, she's covered in bruises, beaten to a pulp after just over a week in the madhouse that is Berlin. Everything that happens in Atomic Blonde has a brutal effect on its characters, and this film ultimately has more in common with the Raid series than anything produced on American shores. It exists in its own neon-drenched 80s noir universe, but it's still grounded in a deeply painful sense of reality and tragedy. And of course, all the credit has to go to Charlize Theron, who gives her all to the character. Lorraine is smart, witty, and cold as ice, and I'll be surprised if audience members don't want to go on more adventures with her by the time the credits roll.
Theron is backed up by a stellar supporting cast, highlighted by the ever-manic James McAvoy. He's having quite a year, and Percival is one of the funnier and more intriguing supporting characters in the movie. Boutella, Eddie Marsan, and John Goodman are impressive as well, but the real co-star here is David Leitch, the director who brings such a distinct flair and an incredible control of action to the table. Leitch is less a storyteller than he is a filmmaker, which in this instance, isn't exactly a bad thing. You've probably already heard about an astonishing tracking shot down an apartment building staircase, and yeah, that scene is just as jaw-dropping as advertised. In fact, it's when the movie turns around completely, and Leitch puts so much faith in his bone-crunching battles that they often overshadow any of the minor flaws. They're physical and vicious, and nothing short of amazing. It's worth the price of admission alone to see Charlize Theron beating up some Russian spies.
Working with a bigger budget than the original Wick (which was originally a direct-to-VOD release before Lionsgate realized it was good), Leitch is able to assemble a task force of talented people to make Atomic Blonde as technically stunning as humanly possible. The score by Tyler Bates is great, but his music takes a back seat to the soundtrack, which features 80s classics from The Clash, George Michael, and Depeche Mode. Jonathan Sela's cinematography is also very strong, giving us an excellent picture of the grimy days of Berlin in 1989. But for all of my praise for this film, I can't overstate enough- this film takes a long time to get going. The first half is a bumpy ride, and Leitch struggles to find the right pacing to tell this story. Kurt Johnstad is best known for writing the 300 films, and that shows in this one. There's a lot of stagnation in this movie, with people standing around and waiting for things to happen. It's still fun enough to watch, but it takes too long for everything to click into place.
That being said, when Atomic Blonde does come together, it's quite a ride. It's not the perfect, masterful franchise starter that we probably all hoped for, but it gets the job done and then some. The action sequences are beautifully intense, Theron is gold as always, and Leitch establishes a dark and playful world that works really well. For fans of the spy genre, or people who just like watching dazzling fight scenes that must have been insane to film, this is the movie for you. And in a late summer season with not much to offer, it's a flawed, but slickly fun treat.
THE FINAL GRADE: B (7.2/10)
Images: IMDB/Universal
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