Review of Atomic Blonde (2017) by Mitchell B — 04 Aug 2017

Atomic Blonde is a spy thriller starring Charlize Theron and James McAvoy. Spy films at this point are a dime a dozen. Practically everything has been done already in terms of stories that can be told. Unless you're James Bond or Mission Impossible it can be tough for a spy film to make it. You either have to have very interesting characters or a unique style to separate yourself. Atomic Blonde has a bit of both.

The general story is very simple. The film takes place in 1989 at the fall of the Berlin Wall. A list of many undercover double agents from many nations is up for grabs. Charlize's character, Lorraine, an MI6 agent, is sent to recover this list before falling into enemy hands. It's a basic plot that's been done in many spy flicks before. As in typical spy films Atomic Blonde does try to through the audience some curveballs towards the end; some work and some do not.

What truly saves Atomic Blonde is its style. It's very much like Kingsman or John Wick in that it presents a very stylized world and action set pieces that are very heightened that they feel straight out of a comic book. It also takes some points with Guardians of The Galaxy with its fancy text sprinkled throughout, and the many songs playing in crucial moments. Unlike something such as Suicide Squad however, it actually fits with the rest of the movie for the most part.

The characters are standard, but decent. What elevates them are the performances. You have a lot of big talent on this film, but the standout performances are definitely from Charlize Theron and James McAvoy, which they should as they have the lead roles.

The action is another major plus for the movie. One action scene in particular feels very much like a scene from Netflix's Daredevil. However, it's different enough in that they did not directly copy the fight, though it was clearly inspired.

The film does have couple hiccups. The main villain is a bore for one thing, as is the general plot. Some of the plot twists they throw are very predictable and really expected. Also, the movie is told mostly in flashback and periodically fast forwards to real time where Lorraine is telling the events to her superiors. That depletes some of the tension because we know she's going to make it out alive in the end.

Overall, Atomic Blonde is a fun spy action movie with good characters, great acting, entertaining fights, amazing atmosphere, and fun music. It has its issues, like some of the twists the film throws and the basic plot and villains, and the somewhat lack of tension. However, the pros greatly outweigh the cons for me.