Red Sparrow

In anticipation of a new Hanna or Atomic Blonde, I was richly bored for a good third of the film before I realized that the expectations might have been the problem. And yet it was as if the film had anticipated as much, and when the protagonist moves to a secret training center where, instead of spy training she's treated to a stage from The 120 Days of Sodom, she complains about it the exact same way we do. The quicker you tune in to the channel of such a slightly different (yet in some ways almost classic, canon-adherent), reflective spy film, the more forgiving you become of the film. It's not easy when Joel Edgerton simply doesn't have much acting range and Jennifer Lawrence (again) looks the whole time like someone told an inappropriate joke in front of her. However, a few fairly unique scenes, occasional explosions of unexpected violence in an otherwise pretty polished area in front of the camera, and one brutal symphony involving several sharp objects and a potato peeler at least ensure that you might not forget the film entirely. 3-4, but we have to take care of pure genre flicks, so I’m rounding up. (06/01/2018)

A top-rate psychological spy thriller. Although it doesn’t go very deep in its portrayal of the relationship between the two lead characters and escalates rather inconspicuously, it’s very unpredictable in the way it continuously taps on motifs that are smartly exploited without disrupting the coherence of its world and its deliberate detachment and mistrust. The runtime is not a problem, Lawrence ingeniously and effectively overlays condensed events with cross-cuts (the opening sequence is one of the year’s best) or overlapping multiple timelines (characters discuss a plan while the viewer is already watching its execution). Also, the film is a patch for the still absent psychologisation through sexual tension, which is sometimes treated rudely and violently (the conditions in the training facility can not be believed), but also sensitively and systematically when it comes to the development of the protagonist (and dramatizes the relationship between the main couple). Although I was a little disappointed by the twist regarding the identity of the western mole, which stinks of fairytale, the climax was nonetheless good and surprising. Another thing worth praise is the sophisticated audiovisual aspect, it might be par for the course, but there haven’t been many better looking movies in the cinema this year. 80% (02/03/2019)

The American take on the Russian state apparatus is compelling, delivered with respect, and most fans of gritty spy movies will find it to their liking. The secret services in Russia are portrayed as a power-hungry, hard and uncompromising hierarchy of alpha males and females, both decision-makers and enforcers; like a creeping silent force, insidious and yet mesmerizing. This is exactly what the agent, played by Jennifer Lawrence, tries to portray very ably. Another one of her bolder roles in a minimalist and quite raw film with a solid plot, a great modern "cold war" atmosphere and a couple of scenes of explicit violence. Only the hint of romance is a bit too much, but if you take it all as part of the plan, you can turn a blind eye to it. Matthias Schoenaerts is superb as always and Charlotte Rampling is to die for as a demonic teacher. (03/03/2018)

Sexy Jennifer Lawrence in an erotically cool spy thriller. I definitely think that if David Fincher had been in charge (he was supposed to direct it) it would have been a bigger hit, but it's still a decent thriller that isn't afraid of nudity and blood. Jennifer Lawrence is very sexy here and shows up full frontal naked, which will please many a male eye, as will the traditionally excellent Joel Edgerton. The hard training Jennifer undergoes in Russia to become a Red Sparrow is filmed very effectively, the psychological weight and erotic tension is omnipresent. At times the 140-minute running time drags in certain sequences and some editing wouldn't hurt, but I didn't find myself downright bored. The final torture and the denouement are excellent. A solid film that avoids the mainstream thanks to its eroticism and brutality and offers an unconventional story that hasn't been in cinemas for a while. 75% (03/15/2018)

I get it, Jennifer Lawrence was meant to play a completely merciless and emotionless murderer. It’s a shame she is like that in most of her movies. Another issue I saw in the fact that it is an espionage thriller, but at the end I was thoroughly confused about what happened. For an espionage thriller there was extremely little suspense and action, so during those two and a half hours I almost wondered whether to cook dinner or start dusting. Luckily it was saved by the great beauty of Jennifer, and her two acting colleagues – Joel Edgerton and Matthias Schoenaerts. I respect them so I finished to movie to the end and I admit that it is at least average. (07/14/2018)