ATOMIC BLONDE Review

While watching this film, I couldn't help but think of what another film critic said about Zombieland years ago: it was a hilarious take on well-worn jokes. Why do I bring this up in a review for a seemingly unrelated film? Well, that's because a similar summary could be used to describe Atomic Blonde. Is this the most original spy flick? Not particulary, no. In fact, it cribs a lot from similar Cold War era espionage pictures. Even the main plot device feels like it was lifted straight from the opening of Skyfall. While the substance here might not be all that fresh, it makes up for that with a hefty amount of style and class. Its a fun (albeit lightweight) action flick that's a little too long for its own good; but, there are certainly some memorable high points.

Charize Theron owns as the films lead. While she certainly dishes out a lot of pain, she doesn't come out of all this chaos unscathed. Far from it, she's pretty roughed up by the end of the movie. Its a trick that a lot of modern action flicks need to remember: a lot of the tension in these movies comes from the fact that the protagonist are as vulnerable as they are awesome. Plus, these characters wouldn't be as interesting if they were nothing but unstoppable killing machines. Anyway, lets get back to the rest of the performances. James MacAvoy does his standard (but still fiendishly entertaining) brand of ultra-sleazy British corruption. Sofia Boutella is also kind of fun as a character that's essentially this film's equivalent to a Bond girl.

All of the action is ridiculously violent and over-the-top (as to be expected from a director who did the first John Wick). Out of all of them, the stairwell sequence is the biggest standout. With maybe one exception, its all relatively easy to follow and the camerawork never gets too hectic. As for the aforementioned stylistic leanings, that's the non-action part that keeps this movie afloat. Again, much like the John Wick movies, a lot of the film is absolutely soaked in candy-colored neon. It also helps that the soundtrack's stuffed with 80s pop classic (as well as some nice synth work from the ever-reliable Tyler Bates). Heck, there's even a pretty wizard remix of Blue Monday.



In the end, Atomic Blonde is a fun ride that'll go down in film history because of a few all-time stunning action setpieces and as another edition to Charlize Theron's growing status as an iconic action heroine.

ATOMIC BLONDE gets a...
GOOD TIME out of TEN