Review of Red Sparrow (2018) by Richard B — 25 Jun 2018

Rotten is a good adjective to apply to this unpalatable waste. It is an oddly revolting and deeply depressing film due to a mixture of gratuitous violence, contrived story line and a rather depraved view of humanity.

I don't use that word "depraved" often or casually, and certainly not out of any prudish sensibility. I mean the film wallows in the the worst elements of human perversity, warping our animal urges and inviting the viewers to gorge themselves on the whole twisted spectacle.

It's not a real spy thriller or taut drama. It's just dark, dispiriting psychological rot with a flimsy excuse for descent into the muck. Jennifer Lawrence isn't terrible, she's just shallow in her depiction of a ballerina (dance at which she is leaden, to put it kindly) who is forced into less glamorous work after an injury.

Her constant dour looks don't make her emotions deep, and her character is left as two-dimensional. As a dancer, she can barely get off the ground; as an actress, she can barely get into the depth of a character.

I gave up on this ugly, pointless film before the halfway point, and could have used a good hosing down after that.