Atomic Blonde

This review may contain spoilers!

For two brilliant hours the names 'James Bond' and 'Jason Bourne' were forgotten and the spy genre got a new knockout lead. I would give Atomic Blonde an 8.5/10.

This film is a blend of fantastic visual aesthetics and true gritty spy thriller; certainly one to remember. The story follows tough-as-nails MI6 agent, Lorraine, as she beats half of Berlin bloody while subtly manipulating all the figures she comes across in order to survive. What I enjoyed about this film is just how deep those mind games and manipulation went; the struggles between Lorraine, David and Bremovych are really intriguing to watch. I thought that one of the more heartfelt relationships within the film was the one that developed between Lorraine and Delphine; it mirrored a classic Bond relationship but had an emotional intimacy that those films tend to lack. The cinematography is absolutely stunning, most noteworthy being one long extended shot of Lorraine battling her way through a stairwell out to her getaway vehicle below. The editing keep the pace moving at a solid rate; the colour scheme of the film makes this film a neon wonderland and the constant dissolves draw you back into the murky depths of the spy world. The fight choreography throughout the film is nothing short of impressive, the stunt work is clearly a lot of effort and the battles feel real. The soundtrack for the film is one of the big strengths, the use of 90s music to create a pop-punk tone only adds to the unique nature of this film.

James McAvoy, who played David Percival, is a very deceptive snake of a character; McAvoy really suits the duplicitous spy role and provides some good conflict against Theron. Eddie Marsan, who played Spyglass, is a very meek yet likeable role; Marsan's quiet bravery in smuggling information or defending Theron in fight sequences makes for a great role. John Goodman, who played Emmett Kurzfeld, suits the 'take no nonsense' handler role; Goodman's back and forth with Theron makes for some great conflict throughout the film. Toby Jones, who played Eric Gray, fits the high and mighty superior officer role; Jones presents a role who meticulously analyses and assesses Theron's character throughout the film in a manner that feels real rather than exposition-heavy. Roland Moller, who played Aleksander Bremovych, is a very staunch Russian mob antagonist; Moller's unpredictable and sudden violent outbursts mark him as a threat to be reckoned with. Sofia Boutella, who played Delphine Lasalle, is a performer that has really been doing exceptional things within the past few years; her role's relationship with Theron is incredibly intimate and convincing despite the limited screen time it's given. Bill Skarsgard, who played Merkel, is quite a fun wit as the youthful revolutionary in Berlin; however his repeated resourcefulness marks him as quite the established and intelligent character. Til Schweiger, who played the Watchmaker, is one of those spy figures that really helps build the mythos of the film they're in; Schweiger lends an air of mystery to his scenes which makes you question the direction of the plot even more.

However the best performance came from Charlize Theron, who played Lorraine Broughton. Theron portrays a real no-nonsense spy who is a master at her craft. Her outwardly sarcastic demeanour and hard exterior make her hard to read at times; especially when she's working to manipulate the characters around her. The film does a great job of catching those quiet moments with herself or with characters she's developed a level of trust with and showing that vulnerable and good-natured side to her. Theron brings out a character that's frank, honest and does a damn good job at kicking ass.

This film works at telling it's narrative retrospectively through a debriefing between Lorraine and her superiors; this causes the pace to be interrupted from time to time and takes away from some of the tension in a few of the scenes. This form of storytelling means that the way the big twist that comes at the end of the film isn't pulled off in a way that is immediately clear nor satisfying; it's a great aspect of the plot but the execution could've been better.

James Faulkner, who played Chief 'C', feels like a bit of a caricature of a British spy head; his exchanges with other performers felt very stilted and his British witticisms were a bit of an eye-roll. Johannes Haukur Johannesson, who played Yuri Bakhtin, is really only in this film to act as a plot device; Johannesson doesn't really play much more than a thug with no real contribution to the film than carrying around a major plot point for two acts.