Atomic Blonde

Anyone expecting a female version of John Wick will be disappointed. Charlize Theron is not a macho good guy seeking revenge for the death of his dog and his burned-down house, she's a cunning and unpredictable bitch, defined by looks and arrogant one-liners rather than emotions. This corresponds to the different concept of the film that David Leitch created. The essence of the story is a modern spy game of cat and mouse, where no one knows who, where, how and with whom until the last moment. But the unnecessarily convoluted screenplay interferes a bit with the otherwise sensational impression of tangible action, which, I dare to say, is hardly rivaled in its class by its intensity and execution. Unlike Wick and his über fucking cool combo of moves and stylish shooting, the action here less rhythmic and more raw and dirty. The fight on the stairs, already teased in the trailer, will surely go down in memory and film history as one of the best ever. All in all, it lasts about ten minutes and there are damn few cuts, all backed up by phenomenal handheld camerawork that doesn't let the main characters breathe a sigh of relief (it's incredible what Charlize Theron physically does as she continues her badass ride after Fury Road). Everything else about the film, from the sexy neon, the 80s music, the stylish sets, the ditzy production design, to the atmospheric Berlin – a filmmaker's paradise of cold backdrops – goes by the wayside and plays second fiddle with a bit of hyperbole. Because that ten minute sequence is itself a film within a film, elevating the action craft in that class to a whole new level, something that was last done a decade ago and a notch below by Paul Greengrass with his jittery and frantic The Bourne Identity. (07/30/2017)

An excess of style sometimes paradoxically results in the absence of style. The film is so saturated with neon EBM fetishism and a fondness of looking at a heroine who is so cold that we can't fully sympathize with her, meaning that it eventually falls apart into a chain of badly connected scenes. A simple story told in a senselessly awkward and ineffective way, and thereby all the pleasure ultimately comes from the little things. And there are about ten minutes of them in the two-hour runtime. I wouldn't even accept that from Dederon. (08/04/2017)

Basically, I completely agree with what Ruprechtos wrote: Leitch knows how to put together and shoot creative action sequences and deliver a decent retro feel, but he can't develop the spy plot in a way that surprises the viewer or piques their curiosity. If it wasn't for the very hot Charlize, it’d be a very big dud with one physically exhausting action scene without editing that stands out as the only really bright element, even if it doesn't quite fit the established style – at least the lesbian scene still stands out. That's damn little from the director of the second Deadpool. (01/07/2018)

A statuesque Charlize Theron, the Cold War coming to a head, a neo-retro look, atmospheric Berlin, lesbian romance, secret services... all this and more in Antony Johnston's adaptation of the comic "The Coldest City." This is the first movie to have an 1980s soundtrack and it’s about James Bond in skirts. That floored me. (08/14/2017)

Even when you have one of the best action sequences (and I'm toying with the idea that it might be the very best) ever filmed, you have to have something else to go with it, and Atomic Blonde fits that bill sufficiently. At least for those who are still unapologetically fulfilled by the aesthetic of a broken body in an expensive dress, with a glass of vodka and a cigarette in the corner of her mouth. (10/28/2017)