MOVIE REVIEW: ATOMIC BLONDE

Oscar® winner Charlize Theron explodes into summer in Atomic Blonde, a breakneck action-thriller that follows MI6’s most lethal assassin through a ticking time bomb of a city simmering with revolution and double-crossing hives of traitors. The crown jewel of Her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service, Agent Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is equal parts spycraft, sensuality and savagery, willing to deploy any of her skills to stay alive on her impossible mission. Sent alone into Berlin to deliver a priceless dossier out of the destabilized city, she partners with embedded station chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to navigate her way through the deadliest game of spies.

Director: David Leitch 

Cast: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Sofia Boutella, Til Schweiger

Release Date: Jul 28, 2017

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Rated R for for sequences of strong violence, language throughout, and some 
sexuality/nudity

Review:

Atomic Blonde is a stylish spy thriller that’s a great vehicle for a kick ass Charlize Theron.  That’s really the main attraction here, watching Charlize Theron repeatedly beat up anyone and everyone in a variety of fashions.  The film’s action sequences are impressive works of art that really highlight the director’s strengths.  The two major sequences, one involving a rope and lots of police and the finale which is one of the most brutal fight sequences in a long time, are when the film hits its peak.  The plot though is a slight weakness, the spy plot is pretty basic, missing microfilm, and there aren’t nearly as many twist and turns as you’d expect.  Still it’s got enough style blended with a strong 80s soundtrack to make it memorable.     

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of Atomic Blonde

Dearest Blog: Thanks to a half-day closing at the office, I was able to avoid the weekend rush and catch a Friday-afternoon screening of Atomic Blonde.

 

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

 

Against a backdrop of the tumultuous days leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall, agents from several nations race to claim a stolen piece of valuable intelligence.

 

Regular reader(s) will have heard me say time and again that I haven't much interest in movies about women, but apparently my interest can be piqued when said women are beating the ever-lovin' crap out of everyone. Take note, Hollywood.

 

If we're being honest, Atomic Blonde is mostly a bunch of wild action sequences strung together with a thin of bit spy-thriller thread. The plot is compelling, with a few great twists, but it can't steal the spotlight from the movie's fight and chase scenes. It is a testament to how great the action is that you won't mind that a bit. It's a testament to the rest that the movie still has a few surprises up its sleeve. 

 

The lovely Charlize Theron is...well...lovely, ceaselessly making fashion statements while knocking people's lights out. (Note to self: Anyone dressed too nicely is probably a spy.) Theron is mesmerizing, carrying the movie as effortlessly as her character puts down the bad guys. James McAvoy, Sofia Boutella, Eddie Marsan, John Goodman, and Toby Jones round out an excellent supporting cast. Atomic Blonde features terrific graffiti-style graphics on the titles and credits, some beautiful scenery, and the best fight choreography I've seen in many a day. Full marks for all of the above, but if I told you any of that was the movie's high point, I'd be lying. No, the best thing about Atomic Blond is its wonderful soundtrack, featuring a couple-dozen of the 80s best nuggets, including the original German versions of two of my favorites: Peter Schilling's Major Tom (Coming Home) and Nena's 99 Luftballons. As most of the film's brutality is set to music, a final face-off is all the more effective for being backed by nothing but the sound of punches landing and people getting the wind knocked out of them.

 

Atomic Blonde clocks in at 115 minutes and is rated R for "sequences of strong violence, language throughout, and some sexuality/nudity."

 

These days people talk a lot about the importance of representation in film. I'm not sure anyone will be calling Atomic Blonde an "important representation for girls," but if, like me, you're a girl who would rather jump off a cliff than sit through Wild or its ilk again, it's certainly a step in the right direction. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Atomic Blonde gets eight.

 

Until next time...