Atomic Blonde (2017)

Director: David Leitch
Writers: Kurt Johnstad, Antony Johnston, Sam Hart
DOP: Jonathan Sela
Cast: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Toby Jones

An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the tail end of the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.

David Leitch was a co-director and producer of John Wick. That and the hand to hand combat nature of stunts with long takes had people thinking of this film as a female version of John Wick. That won't be a correct statement because the tone of the film is entirely different as it is essentially a spy movie with some spectacular stunts in it. What is also different is that the action sequences have consequences on the body which is shown in the beginning itself with a heavily bruised Charlize Theron taking an ice-bath.  Film is based on the graphic novel with the title 'The Coldest City' and the success of Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road as Imperator Furiosa helped in getting the film made. She will now definitively go down as an action star with her set to reprise her role as Imperator Furiosa in the next installment of the Mad Max series. Atomic Blonde was also successful enough at box office to warrant a sequel/prequel.

While most people really did dig the action sequences, the plot in itself can be a little too confusing with motivations of the various characters not very clear. But I do think it was intended that way as it is essentially a spy movie involving double agents. It did remind me of Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Inherent Vice', in which it was impossible to figure out the plot. James McAvoy was excellent as usual and it's good that he is generous enough to take a supporting, albeit meaty enough, character. The highlight stunt piece is basically the one which moves to a marble stairway and seem like a single ten minute take, but apparently had 40 cuts. Still very impressive. Soundtrack is also pretty cool with some David Bowie tracks thrown in. He was approached for a role but had turned it down shortly before his death. Atomic Blonde works really well because it is an original film with its own identity rather than being the female version of a previously successful film.

Rating: 3.5/5