Review of Atomic Blonde (2017) by Dana F — 18 Feb 2018
Think of this movie as a little James Bond, a little Usual Suspects, and a little Shoot 'Em Up, tossed in a blender and set to a killer 80s soundtrack. It's a lot of fun and has LOADS of style.
The whole movie has a retro chic vibe that I really loved. The film alternates between moody and atmospheric mystery to hardcore uber-violent action... I imagine some people might find the sudden changes in tone to be jarring, but I thought it worked.
The direction is great (some of those shots were ingenius) and all the performances are solid, especially Charlize Theron in full badass mode as the lead. However, the plot is very dense and is difficult to follow, and gets even harder as it goes on.
It's full of characters whose names you don't quite catch and can never figure out who they are, or how they factor into the increasingly convoluted mystery. It's a bit much. But to be honest, no one is watching this film for the plot.
.. it's the fight scenes that are the selling point of this movie, and they are some of the best I've seen. The movie isn't wall-to-wall action, but when the fights start, they are visceral.
In most movies, hand-to-hand combat looks like a carefully choreographed dance, but thankfully that's not the case here. This movie really hits home that ass-kicking is not all fun and games, it's HARD WORK.
When someone gets hit, there is an effect... there are bruises, bloodstains, broken bones, staggering, grunting, panting, and general pain and weariness. When was the last time you saw an action hero get tired? They never do (or if they do, it's conveniently after the battle has been won), but they get visibly exhausted in this film, and I loved that about it.
There is one especially badass fight in the middle of the film that has no music, and the silence made it that much more primal. I don't know that everyone will like this movie, but I really enjoyed it and appreciated it for what it was.
If you like your action with a little more flair, give it a shot.
This review of Atomic Blonde (2017) was written by Dana F on 18 Feb 2018.
Atomic Blonde has generally received positive reviews.
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