Two recent films have helped redefine what great action scenes can be, Mad Mad: Fury Road and John Wick. In what seems like an amazing combination we have the co-director of John Wick David Leitch and Furiousa herself Charlize Theron coming together to make Atomic Blonde. This is a a female-driven Bond film that features the expected, stunning action scenes but it's hard to make sense of or be engaged in the story.
The film is based on Antony Johnston's graphic novel The Coldest City. Theron is secret agent Lorraine who starts the film soaking recent wounds and bruises in an ice bath while drinking vodka on-the-rocks. The film is structured around her interrogation by her MI-6 superior (Toby Jones) and an American CIA agent (John Goodman). The film flashes back and forth often as recounts the events surrounding a list of alias and real agents that got in the wrong hands.
The film sets itself in Berlin right before the fall of the wall. This allows for a pulsating 80's soundtrack and an synth-driven score to be utilized to help create the time period. In some cases, it work. Who doesn't want to see Theron kicking ass to George Michael's Father Figure? Other times it feels like the go-to way to transition from one scene to the next. Lorraine's contact in Berlin is David Percival (James McAvoy). McAvoy eats up the screen with his performance, all sex and swagger.
The ins and outs of who has the list and how Lorraine plans on getting it gets lost in a sea of double-crosses and plot twists. Atomic Blonde answers the question of how many plot twists are too many, the answer is six. As Lorraine tries to get back the list and secure a German operative (Eddie Marsan) who has memorized the list, she meets a young French spy (Sofia Boutella). The two quickly hook-up in a manner straight out of the Bond films Atomic Blonde is riffing on.
The numerous characters and plot points in the script do come together in a nice final act but until the conclusion, they seem to hardly move. There is nothing that propels the action forward. Sadly, nothing is made of the chemistry between McAvoy and Theron, who both have great command over character and presence here. Many of the villains seem to just be waiting for Lorraine to cross her path. Boutella has a captivating presence but her character is drawn to one-dimension for anyone to get involved in her character's arc. These elements add to the underdeveloped feeling of the film's narrative.
Where Atomic Blonde shines is in its few set pieces. There are a handful of fight scenes that deliver on the promise most fans of John Wick and Theron will be expecting. One scene is particularly amazing as Lorraine fights her way down a stairwell and into a car chase. The film seems to exist almost solely for this scene and it is good enough to recommend the film for. Action fans will be delighted and the scene cements Theron's place in action film history.
3/5
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