Red Sparrow

This review may contain spoilers!

This is an incredibly dull spy film with pacing issues half the time and an erotica film posing as a spy film for the other half. I would give Red Sparrow a 4.5/10.

The strength of this spy film is the brutal nature of the piece, the violence and the heightened sense of danger, action and torture make this a film with exceptionally high stakes for the characters at hand. What works in the narrative's favour is small cues scattered throughout, scenes that are seemingly insignificant or unimportant but result in what is actually quite an incredible reveal right at the film's end. This reveal isn't enough to rectify many of the mistakes throughout but it is a clever moment, one that hints at what Red Sparrow could've been with the right guidance. The cinematography for the feature is alright, often going big on the more significant or brutal scenes but keeping consistent enough throughout to appear interesting.

Matthias Schoenaerts, who played Vanya Egorov, is a very cunning and deceptive role to watch; Schoenaerts plays his role to be very 'together' and the perverse connection he attempts to form with Lawrence is very well orchestrated. Ciaran Hinds, who played Zakharov, is a figure of immense power throughout his scenes in this film; Hinds has a dark, threatening presence that quietly looms over other roles he has exchanges with. Thekla Reuten, who played Marta, is a very guarded role who comes quite naturally to this spy film; Reuten's ability to balance a gentler, more trusting side with Lawrence and a hardened exterior in other scenes really make her an intense talent to watch.

However, the best performance came from Charlotte Rampling, who played Matron. This was a very firm role who governed her 'school'/training facility with a rigid fist. The subtle ways Rampling depicted her role manipulating others was a fascinating watch and you immediately believed that this was a character with layers of espionage experience. I was never really impressed with the films rampant and aimless scenes around sex and lust but Rampling navigated them well and certainly showed these ideas as a tool in the spy game.

This is a great example of a film with a clever idea for the end that really lacks substance anywhere else in the feature. The main character really hurtles into the espionage world and you never really feel very convinced that she has a place there. It's disappointing that the film tries to tease the audience by having Dominika switch sides every few minutes; you lose interest in her and the narrative grows repetitive. The film really has a weird obsession with sex, especially at the beginning of the film. There is a time where Red Sparrow just gratuitously attempts to push the boundaries in how it portrays sex to the point that it no longer seems to serve a purpose and delves into the realms of fetishism and erotica. The entire American angle of the story is quite simple and goofy, with cheesy roles and moments of comedy that are in complete conflict with the narrative unfolding in the Russian storyline. The editing of the film is very dull; it's clear that there isn't much vision as to whether this is an action feature or a slow burn spy flick. The score for Red Sparrow is oppressively dull and doesn't differ greatly between scenes, in fact, some of the uses of famous classical pieces come in at rather jarring moments.

Jennifer Lawrence, who played Dominika Egorova, was quite simply a poor actress for this leading role and has been on the backburner in her choice of films for a while now; Lawrence could have at least managed a consistent Russian accent rather than hash that basic prerequisite for the character. Joel Edgerton, who played Nate Nash, doesn't succeed at playing an espionage agent so much as he plays the most hapless schmuck you'll see in a spy film this year; watching Edgerton force a steamy relationship between Lawrence and himself is cringeworthy at best. Mary-Louise Parker, who played Stephanie Boucher, comes crashing into this film to wreck the tone completely; Parker's heightened comedic portrayal of a shady deal is extremely off-colour and a weak link in the narrative. Joely Richardson, who played Nina Egorova, is more in this film for a placeholder of an important stereotype as opposed to portraying a character; Richardson is certainly a mother role in this film but you won't see much deeper than that. Bill Camp, who played Marty Gable, is another American character who comes in cracking jokes and feeling off-colour to the feature as a whole; Camp really is shunted to the background and feels like one role to many in some of the scenes he is in. Jeremy Irons, who played General Korchnoi, is quite a predictable role, to be frank; Irons plays up a gruff exterior that goes strongly against most other characters in the scenes he's in. making his reveal as an ally not much of a twist. Douglas Hodge, who played Maxim Volontov, was quite two-dimensional and never really allowed to be more than he was; this character was made to be a brute and Hodge was content simply playing him that way and no more.