Atomic Blonde (2017)

User Review

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  Barneyonmovies

  7 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: Like his 'John Wick,' David Leitch's 'Atomic Blonde' is an action film all about the cool factor, but the layers here are actually very different indeed. Yes for one this is a far grittier film than you might expect as whilst all the beauty of its neon visuals and brilliant soundtrack shine, there's actually an awful lot of serious darkness here to keep you engaged. Now of course that is partly brought to life by the overall historical setting that this film so brilliantly shows, but mostly it comes from the lead character - a well-written, awesome and brilliantly-portrayed woman in Charlize Theron's Lorraine who's just as layered as she is badass. Not only does this keep your bum in the seat, but it also keeps you genuinely on the edge of it during the awesome and bloody - if often rather short - action sequences.
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Where the film slightly looses out for me is in its focus on extensive and uninteresting plot points that get an awful lot of exposition. Yes the story itself isn't necessarily the issue - more so that the way it's told sees an awful lot of explaining and shouting which all leaves much to desire outside the main sequences, especially in the knowledge that all of it could have been time spent seeing Lorraine in full flow.
  VERDICT: A very cool, gritty and admirable action film; 'Atomic Blonde' sees Charlize Theron own the screen. If only she got to own a little bit more.

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