‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - ATOMIC BLONDE

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

ATOMIC BLONDE (2017, R, 115 minutes, 87ELEVEN/UNIVERSAL PICTURES)

Charlize Theron is officially an action movie hero.  Seriously.

With her role in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, she proved herself more than capable of handling the stresses of acting under high octane pressure, but with BLONDE, she kinda convinces you that she is an absolute badass.  Produced by the same company responsible for the JOHN WICK films (she actually did a lot of her conditioning and choreography at their facilities), BLONDE centers around MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton, who is sent to Germany at the height of the cold war to retrieve a list of secret agents that may have fallen into Soviet hands.  Her contact there is a fellow agent who has “gone native”; he has immersed himself in the culture and life of Berlin to such a degree that he is profiting off both sides of the wall which separates a volatile East and West Germany.

And who better to play a slightly deranged undercover agent than James McAvoy?  Since his stellar portrayal of a “multiple” in SPLIT, the actor seems to have tapped into a certain level of crazy that accentuates every scene he is in.  His performance is almost enough to overshadow Theron’s—key word there, “almost”. Not only does Theron perform her own stunts, but her Broughton is a tough-as-nails lady who can pull of classy just as easily as brazen.  She is more than confident—at times, you see a steely determination in her eyes that plays well against the testosterone and male bravado typically highlighted in this genre of film.  She wants you to know that she is more than able to stand up for herself, and on the heels of her Furiosa in MAD MAX, you can’t help but wonder why her caliber of acting has taken so long to infiltrate the female action roles.

Essentially, ATOMIC BLONDE is a violent ballet of sorts, intermingled with operatic strokes of dark humor which cleave away at stereotypes and threatens to drown out the overtures previously laid by Bond, Bourne, and Ryan.  It is a refreshing and, much like the ice-cold baths our heroine is fond of taking, a much-needed wake-up call to a male saturated niche in Hollywood.

That being said, BLONDE is not without its flaws.  The plot itself is nothing new, and writer Kurt Johnstad offers up too many double crosses—especially the obvious ones.  This is one of those films that relies heavily on the choreographed fights and its star power—not really a bad thing when you have so many pretty and capable stars.  And the soundtrack is a greatest hits of the eighties.  Honestly, the only other recent film whose soundtrack comes close to this as far as nostalgia and perfect accompaniment to the action onscreen is BABY DRIVER, and that film was actually made around the musical selections of the director.  So, kudos to director (and ex-stuntman) David Leitch for his humor and musical taste.

With any luck, Theron will not rule out “action star” from her future endeavors.  Two of her next three films are listed as comedies—and hey, why not?  She has proven herself as a dramatic actress, and now as one that can kick some major butt. Her body probably needs a break from being thrown down stairs.

But I doubt we’ve seen the last of Lorraine Broughton.  She’s just too good of a character to disappear just because some stupid cold war ended.

           

Film Grade: B

Special Features:

Blu-ray Necessary: Most definitely

T.S. Kummelman