Atomic Blonde (David Leitch)

[TGM]

ATOMIC BLONDE

Director: David Leitch

imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2406566/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

[TGM]

This was simply intoxicating.

[Winston*]

This was pretty dull and stupid, with a couple of good action scenes.

[Ezee E]

Haven't read a review or heard a word about this (skipped everything here too). I'm pretty excited for it.

[Winston*]

Haven't read a review or heard a word about this (skipped everything here too). I'm pretty excited for it.

Some insightful criticism in this thread so far. Make sure to come back to it when you've watched it.

[Morris Schæffer]

Some insightful criticism in this thread so far.

:D:D

I'm waiting for the "Wow! Just wow!!" or "Atomehc Blonde".

[dreamdead]

So this is a film that succeeds on energy and tension when Leitch is staging the primary fight scene in the stairwell; the physicality of the violence there is clear and Theron doesn't simply get to be invincible but instead faces worthwhile adversaries, which is a gap that a few of the other sequences suffer from, especially the apartment battle with German police.

The film has style aplenty (with the soundtrack, the costumes, the neon cinematography, and some of the invisible cuts on the stairwell fight) but not much in the way of heart. This is a main flaw I generally have with the Bond films as well, save for Casino Royale, which has Eva Green engendering actual emotionality and connections to Daniel Craig's lead. The French girl here just doesn't have enough of an interesting character to make a comparable impact. And the last three minutes are just silly and contrived rather than smart.

Still, I like Theron enough, and love the idea of a female agent enough, to yay this.

[Stay Puft]

The film has style aplenty (with the soundtrack, the costumes, the neon cinematography, and some of the invisible cuts on the stairwell fight) but not much in the way of heart.

Yup. I enjoyed the film for its style (and the stairwell fight is part of a larger sequence that may very well be the best action sequence so far this year, though the bit at the end with the car chase was taking it one step too far), but there really isn't anything there, and the movie tries to bury that fact in plot twists. The screenplay is a total mess, just terrible storytelling, and by the end I was almost annoyed. A mild yay for the style and action, but I was also longing for the simplicity of John Wick.

[number8]

Hah. I thought some critics were simplifying things when they were calling this "female Bond." I cringed when I heard that, because it seems like a backhanded way to praise any movie with an asskicking female secret agent, regardless of whether or not the character fits the Bond mold. I didn't realize that it's partly a criticism, too. This reminds me so much of Skyfall, both the good and the bad. A narrative hopscotch that's supported by the hero being as cool as cool can be, to make up for generally empty characterizations.

The style is incredible (I wish these kinds of movies would get Oscar nods for costume more often--but those awards tend to favor construction and design more than smart fashion choices). I keep being reminded of a Wong Kar-wai film: lots of two people sitting across from each other in colorful lighting, flirting through cigarette smoke, while a voiceover adds spice into the scene. A lot of it works, a lot of it doesn't, and it's partially because of the story they're adapting is not a great fit with that style. They turned a grounded, La Carre-style powder keg comic book into this music-tinged, attitude-filled punk rock movie.

But yeah, how can you deny how cool that oner fight was. I think there should be more action movies that only teases you with one or two quick action scenes and then deliver a gigantic set piece towards the end. I like the wait.

It's funny that Leitch doesn't seem to know when to stop, though. There are several aspects of the film that are great but then trips the landing by trying juuust one more feat:

- The fight with Berlin police. Should've ended with her jumping out the window. The fact that it sets up a "uh oh, more cops coming" moment but it turns out to be just two officers she quickly dispatches creates a really unnecessary anticlimax.
- The oner should've ended with them exiting the building, preserving a self-contained sequence, rather than finally cutting on an arbitrary moment in a car chase.
- I would've liked the convoluted plot a hell of a lot more if it ends with the "What should I wear for my tea with the queen?" line. Great fucking closer, bold twist with making your protag the mole all along. To make the ultimate twist "She was American all along!" was astoundingly dumb.

[D_Davis]

Anyone know if Cory Yuen was the action choreographer on this one? Sure looked like his style from the trailers.

[number8]

Anyone know if Cory Yuen was the action choreographer on this one? Sure looked like his style from the trailers.

That's just the fast-paced way the trailer is cut. I don't think you would still feel that way if you see the full scenes in the movie. It's much messier and belabored than Corey Yuen's stuff.

The choreography is by Sam Hargrave. He's Chris Evans' stunt double and choreographs all the fights in the Captain America and Avengers movies. Some of the style here is reminiscent of the action scenes in The Winter Soldier, and there's an obvious similarity between the stairwell fight here and the stairwell fight in Civil War, since it's staged by the same guy.

[Spinal]

I liked this, even if it was a bit less than I hoped it would be. As a spy story, it's average at best. As a showcase for Charlize Theron and her singular gifts, it works pretty well.

[Peng]

If John Wick (both of them) is able to juggle its genre elements so well that the balance is roughly Style = Action >= Story, Atomic Blonde's one would be Style >> Action >>>>>> Story. This creates some distancing effects (especially during the first half) that becomes a problem for a story this convoluted. The excessive style is the kind that I groove on a lot though, and with a steely, magnetic force of nature that is Charlize Theron at the center, it remains fun to watch even without much involvement at first. And then the story wakes up emotionally and thematically near the end of second act, as it needs to prepare for that stunning, instant-classic action scene, where its physical toll is exhilaratingly awe-inspiring to watch and also reverberates in story impact long after. The ending is really one thing too many, but I would still follow the Leitch/Theron team anywhere (if with a bit less anticipation than the Stahelski/Reeves team). 7.5/10

[Dukefrukem]

Re-branded Mission Impossible premise. But yes very dull. Unsatisfying payoff in the end.

Anyone know if these action scenes are true one-shots?