On the
whole, I’d put this Cold War-era action flick at maybe a B or B+, but I’m still
very satisfied with having seen it in theaters.
While the story doesn’t always quite
stick the landing, the bold tone and high-octane fight scenes make it a
rollicking good time.
In the
last days before the Berlin Wall comes down, MI-6 agent Lorraine is sent into
the city. Ostensibly, it’s to recover
the body of a deceased fellow agent, but really, it’s to retrieve a document
containing intel on all the major spy players on both sides of the Iron
Curtain. Traveling back-and-forth
between the two halves of the city with the KGB out for her blood, a mysterious
woman tailing her, and MI-6’s volatile man on the ground advising her on the
ways of Berlin, Lorraine doesn’t know who, if anyone, she can trust – other
than her highly-capable self, of course.
First of
all, let me say, I love the late ‘80s setting – most Cold War spy stuff I’ve
seen is set earlier than that, and combining spooks with ‘80s fashions and
music is so much fun. The film has a
great sense of style and swagger, a little cheeky at times. There are moments when I think the direction
is a bit too hyper-stylized, like when the camera revolves sideways for no
particular reason, but overall, I enjoy it.
The story, as I said, is a little shakier. The twists and turns of the plot feel a
little played-out to me, and more than anything, it’s clear that it’s all just
backdrop for the crazy action sequences.
Which are
many and varied. I love watching
Charlize Theron’s Lorraine throw down.
She’s both brutal and resourceful, using anything to her advantage
against male agents who are bigger than her, and she takes as many hard hits as
she dishes out. There’s a nice mix
between sleek and stylish moves (like Lorraine escaping a set-upon apartment
using what looks like a power cable) and more down-and-dirty fighting (like
Lorraine and a KBG agent whose fight ends without fanfare as both stagger,
concussed, toward one another for one last bout.) I also like that, while Lorraine is obviously
a beautiful woman who uses that to her advantage in her work and the camera
pays plenty of attention to her style, her fight scenes really aren’t about the
male gaze.
As
Lorraine, Theron is cool, dry, and again, a licensed badass. James McAvoy is highly watchable as her MI-6
colleague David – as the higher-ups put it, he’s “gone native” and given
himself over to the end-of-the-world feel to Berlin’s party scene, and he’s
altogether an unstable element weaving in and out of Lorraine’s mission. I always enjoy Sofia Boutella (who first
caught my attention as Gazelle in Kingsman,)
and she has a nice appearance here, although I wish we could’ve seen her fight
more. The film also features the
always-reliable Toby Jones and John Goodman.
Warnings
Tons of
violence, swearing, sexual content (including brief nudity,) and
drinking/smoking.
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