Review of Red Sparrow (2018) by Troy C — 05 Mar 2018

Misleadingly marketed as a kick-arse thriller, this espionage yarn is short on action but heavy on drama, employing the spy genre framework to explore provocative themes of female empowerment and state control over its citizens.

Centred on Jennifer Lawrence's Russian ballerina Dominika-who reluctantly finds her way into the KGB's 'Sparrow' program, an intense course of espionage through seduction-Justin Haythe's script is fiercely intelligent and unafraid to take the more difficult route.

Dominika's regular refusal to use sex to achieve a mission contradicts the femme-fatale stereotype, whilst her resistance to, and complete lack of need of assistance from, the all-male hierarchy makes for an altogether more interesting and complicated protagonist.

One classroom scene in particular, in which Dominika bears all to a male student (who attempted to rape her the previous night) is almost unbearably confronting, the calculating manoeuvre successfully antagonising the power-seeking student and ultimately giving Dominika the control.

It's also the point that Lawrence truly announces her unbridled dedication to the convention-busting role. Sure, she's an attractive lady, but she offers so much more in a performance that boasts layers of hatred, ferocity, vulnerability and unwavering determination.

Lawrence's engrossing turn, as well as Joel Edgerton's solid supporting work, goes a long way in being able to forgive the occasional convenient plot machination and overlong scene, whilst also making the climactic rug pull completely effective.

A warning for the squeamish though: the violence, albeit sparingly utilised, is brutal. A methodical torture sequence is unsurprisingly savage, although it's a scrappy three-way knife fight that delivers the biggest gut churn.

A stylish spy tale that is visually splendid, narratively taut and thematically rich, Red Sparrow is both a fun thriller to those looking for escapism as well as a stimulating debate-starter for those wanting to dig a little deeper.