Bullet Points: Atomic Blonde
Fans of intensely violent action movies have grown to love Charlize Theron. While her early days making action films with Reindeer Games and The Italian Job were met with mixed reactions, she more than made up for it with 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. This year, she teamed up with John Wick co-director David Leitch to make a spy movie about a hot chick with platinum blonde hair with an affinity for getting down to her underpants. I’m listening…..
Synopsis: The crown jewel of Her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service, Agent Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is equal parts spycraft, sensuality and savagery, willing to deploy any of her skills to stay alive on her impossible mission. Sent alone into Berlin to deliver a priceless dossier out of the destabilized city, she partners with embedded station chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to navigate her way through the deadliest game of spies.
- Charlize, beaten up: Our introduction to Theron’s Lorraine Broughton has her in an interrogation room looking like she’s just had one too many arguments with R&B singer Chris Brown. She’s surrounded by a bunch of old white guys who we learn are from British and American spy agencies (you know the ones). She begins to tell the story of her mission to Germany in 1989. This is Berlin during Soviet wall era, when East and West Berlin were bisected by a massive wall that was a real pain in the ass.
- Speaking of the 80’s: Maybe I missed it somehow but I didn’t know that this movie was one of those 80’s period pieces. It feels so weird to think that a movie that takes place during my lifetime can be considered a period piece but it fits. The look of the movies probably isn’t the most accurate. The hairstyles look way too modern, and the clothing doesn’t scream 80’s to me, but the music is pretty killer. It does help to get you into the mood while watching it.
- What are you doing here?: Broughton enters Berlin with plans on meeting up with another agent, one who has been there for some time. She finally hooks up with James McAvoy’s David Percival. He shows up late (he partied a little too hard) and Broughton almost gets killed by a car-full of men with bad intentions. The scene does well to introduce us to the style of fighting that the bodacious blonde will be using throughout the film; one of survival. The film is directed by David Leitch so you should have a pretty good idea of what the action scenes will look like if you’ve seen the John Wick movies. The punches all look very angry. It isn’t some Crouching Tiger shit where each movement is a work of art in itself (don’t get me wrong, I love that stuff too), these punches and kicks are back by pure aggression.
- Daniel the henchman: It was so wonderful to see my main man Daniel Bernhardt kicking ass again. He had a pretty solid role in John Wick and now he returns in Atomic Blonde to do pretty much the same thing. Another dozen flicks or so and he might be the current generations Al Leong!
- Can’t look away: Atomic Blonde is a movie about spies. They sneak around, they lie, they find out information…Every time I got up to get another beer I felt like I was falling behind when it came to what was happening. You have to know that there is going to be some sort of double turn or twist at some point but I just kept waiting for it to be surprising. It wasn’t.
- Sofia and Charlie: Sofia Boutella (of The Mummy and Kingsman fame) makes an appearance as a French operative who hits on Charlize and eventually gives up some information to her. She doesn’t have much to do other than rock a hot body and lez out with Theron. It’s a scene that feels a bit out of place but you won’t hear me complaining about some sexy chicks making out and feeling all over each other’s sweaty bods. Their relationship isn’t The Notebook or anything but there is about a 35 second scene halfway through the movie that was better than the entire Notebook movie.
The real twist to this post is how little of the movie I remember, maybe these bonus Bullet Points will jog my memory:
- Charlize Theron spent 5 years trying to get this film made.
- Charlize had 8 personal trainers helping her get ready for the action scenes in the film. She also trained for a time with Keanu Reeves as he was preparing for John Wick 2.
- Based on Antony Johnston and Sam Hart’s graphic novel titled ‘The Coldest City’.
- Toby Jones looks weird.
The Verdict: I’m still a bit on the fence when it comes to Atomic Blonde. I thought the action scenes were phenomenal but I just couldn’t get into the characters at all. I felt like I knew next to nothing about Charlize’s character and she was the one with the camera following her around the entire time! I don’t want to say that the movie was all style and no substance but that was the first thought that went into my head. Charlize Theron definitely owned the role. I watched this and a re-watch of Fury Road in the same week and I feel like she could probably kick 98% of the planets ass. James McAvoy was good, as usual. It’s possible I’m just not the right person to be reviewing spy movies. If I had to sum up the movie in one sentence I would say that the film lacks interesting characters but makes up for it with outstanding action sequences. It’s worth a watch but it might not be for everyone.