Post by joekiddlouischama on Apr 20, 2018 9:04:50 GMT
I enjoyed Atomic Blonde, which I viewed twice in the theater, as a stylish entertainment piece with bits of geopolitical intrigue and irony (and swaths of unrealized potential in that regard), but I found Red Sparrow to be the better film—"pretty good/good," actually. The movie possesses its share of typical flaws, primarily the customary over-plotting that accompanies this genre, but its best sequences—which come later on, pretty much in succession—are outstanding and suggestive of the genre's potential. I am specifically referring to the sequence in the
In these sequences, we witness the suspense, mystery, ambiguity, and brutality that one might associate with the genre's best movies. We feel the pain of the torturous violence (I sort of gasped and flinched at one point when the Russians were beating Lawrence's character), and we see terrific attention to detail, like in the
I personally see the comparison between Atomic Blonde and Red Sparrow, while logical to make given the proximity of their releases, as ultimately superficial, with the relationship between the two movies being coincidental. Atomic Blonde is a highly stylized, tongue-in-cheek, postmodern action movie based on a graphic novel with a techno/New Wave score and a supremely sexy New Age heroine engaged in all manner of totally unrealistic, male-oriented violence. Red Sparrow, conversely, is much more traditional and features a classical score. Its heroine is tough and capable of violence, but of a much more muted and realistic sort. And while neither movie is exactly rich thematically (Atomic Blonde actually offers greater intrigue and potential in this regard) or brilliantly written, Red Sparrow creates a greater impact through its greater attention to character, relationships (including hints of incest), suspense, and little realistic moments such as that
hotel, the aftermath when the Russians torture Jennifer Lawrence's character, and the sequence where she briefly and mysteriously tortures her American liaison and love interest—in what turns out to be her ruse to save him.
In these sequences, we witness the suspense, mystery, ambiguity, and brutality that one might associate with the genre's best movies. We feel the pain of the torturous violence (I sort of gasped and flinched at one point when the Russians were beating Lawrence's character), and we see terrific attention to detail, like in the
hotel room where she bumps in a drawer under the desk to conceal her disks while copying the computer files and the Russian guy approaches to see what she is doing—as we wonder if he is going to recognize her double-crossing espionage.
Indeed, the movie's best sequences create a terrific sense of uncertainty or vulnerability and prove memorable. I personally see the comparison between Atomic Blonde and Red Sparrow, while logical to make given the proximity of their releases, as ultimately superficial, with the relationship between the two movies being coincidental. Atomic Blonde is a highly stylized, tongue-in-cheek, postmodern action movie based on a graphic novel with a techno/New Wave score and a supremely sexy New Age heroine engaged in all manner of totally unrealistic, male-oriented violence. Red Sparrow, conversely, is much more traditional and features a classical score. Its heroine is tough and capable of violence, but of a much more muted and realistic sort. And while neither movie is exactly rich thematically (Atomic Blonde actually offers greater intrigue and potential in this regard) or brilliantly written, Red Sparrow creates a greater impact through its greater attention to character, relationships (including hints of incest), suspense, and little realistic moments such as that
desk-drawer bump
that I cited earlier.