Atomic Blonde

photo courtesy of comingsoon.net

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Thanks to recent hits like Mad Max: Fury Road, John Wick, and Deadpool, there’s a growing audience for non-apologetic, violence-heavy and frequently R-rated action flicks. Atomic Blonde is the latest to capitalize on that trend, giving us another “take no prisoners” antihero in the form of Charlize Theron’s Agent Lorraine Broughton. With Theron in the driver’s seat, Atomic Blonde is bold and brash enough to work on its own terms, but it’s not quite as interesting or groundbreaking as those that came before.

     The first thing that should be clear about Atomic Blonde is that it is most definitely not for everyone. The film earns its R-rating with a healthy dose of violence, fairly explicit sex scenes, nudity, and language. If any of those things are a deal-breaker, you’re probably better off avoiding this one altogether.

photo courtesy of vox.com

     Atomic Blonde is as much about the aesthetic as anything else, with neon lights, pounding 80s synth beats, and a devil may care attitude confronting the audience from the very beginning. It’s kind of like John Wick meets Guardians of the Galaxy—hard-hitting, well-choreographed action and splashy music to punctuate it. Tyler Bates, who did the music for both of those franchises, leaves his mark on the finished product.  

     Having said that, Blonde comes off a bit more muted than, say, Deadpool or John Wick. It’s much more interested in its plot, for one thing; it clearly aspires to bring a decent level of spycraft and intrigue to the proceedings. The movie also plays down the humor that buoys some of the darker violence in other franchises. By contrast, Atomic Blonde glories in the grime and grit of it all. In the lead role, Theron has no time for nonsense, and that vibe permeates the whole movie.

photo courtesy of cinemavine.com

     The action sequences owe a lot to the original Bourne movies: they keep the fighting in-frame, they’re brutal and fast-paced, and they wreck whatever house or building they happen to be in. One sequence, styled as a one-shot fight scene in the vein of that epic Daredevil hallway fight, pits Agent Broughton against a number of assailants at once. It’s a sight to behold.

     But for all its brash ambition, the movie can’t seem to decide which it wants to be: a serious spy movie or a no-holds-barred brawl. It settles for a little of each, sometimes trying to invest the audience in its decently convoluted and enticing (if not entirely unpredictable) plot, sometimes telling them to forget about it and just watch and listen as Theron kicks bad guys’ asses to the sound of "Blue Monday." The resulting movie is something interesting, to be sure, but not as captivating as the other recent hits in the genre. 

photo courtesy of variety.com