Atomic Theronde
Charlize Theron punches her way back into action as Lorraine Broughton, a MI6 operative who is plighted with the mission to recover a special list that has top secret information on it as well as kill Satchel, an ex-MI6 operative who is suspected of being a double agent.
It seems Theron is becoming, if not already, Hollywood's go-to action diva and rightfully so. She has, and continues to blow audiences away with her skillful portrayals of some of the most memorable characters that will go down in action movie history. Atomic Blonde is no different then what you expect from Theron. The action was shot, choreographed and edited to near perfection leaving the audience in awe as Theron hits a guy in the head with a coffee mug. There is a scene in the film, arguably the best, where Director of Photography, Jonathan Sela, uses the “Oner” technique where there is continued camera motion throughout the scene without a visible cut. The whole scene was seven minutes long filled with a car chase, gun fight, and full on brawl between Theron and faceless goons.
Whenever Theron was on screen she was great. After she beats the crap out of Thug #1 and Thug #2, the film switches tempo and time, exploring the story behind the action while Theron soars. She has an uncanny ability to play the calm and collected savage that’ll rip your eye out and whisper something titillating in your ear as she does it. Needless to say her acting was impeccable and convincing all the way through and is a major selling point to the film.
The film also ever so pleasantly kicks you in the face with some contemporary societal arbitration. Through the course of the movie, Theron meets a young lady, Daphne Lasalle, played by Sofia Boutella, and they become intimate soon after their meeting. The first encounter was a strong scene that gave a huge middle finger to the sensibilities of anyone with a modicum of traditionality. I am all in for artists standing up for what they believe in and allowing their art to reflect their ideologies so for me, breaking tradition with a little girl-on-girl in a big budget block-buster was artistically riveting.
Yet when the action stops, the film, your attention and its congruence stop as well. The film is told in non-linear fashion which, in my opinion, is completely useless. There is no need to tell the story back and forth. It doesn’t give the film any added suspense or a mind-blowing reveal, in fact it weakens the film because it makes it difficult to follow. The non-linear style also slows the pacing down by droves, making the element of the film most affected by this in the plot. The concept of the film is already heavily complex dealing with characters with multiple names, covert spy jargon, keeping up with who is who all set to the tune of the real civil unrest regarding the Berlin Wall during the 1980’s.
As a result of its incoherence, the character arc and the core story suffers. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I’m no traditionalist. Having a conventional character arc and core story structure isn’t necessarily imperative yet Atomic Blonde can be seen as a perfect argument as to why conventionality has its importance in film. Usually, a character starts one way at the beginning of the film and subsequent events change them, so by the end they are a new character. It is important for a character to have some form of change because it not only gives the audience perspective but makes the character well rounded and complex, similar to people in actuality. Because of the incoherence, I had a very difficult time seeing the development of Theron’s character. She was the same from the beginning to the end and in my opinion, deserving of upbraiding. Though someone might state in rebuttal “It’s an action movie, It’s suppose to be fun”, and I say to you person, no film is without reproach, therefore subjecting itself to my deconstructive wrath (Haha).
In conclusion, Atomic Blonde is a good watch. A Nice way to cap off the Summer Blockbuster season.
Recap
+Good Action
+Charlize Theron & Sofia Boutella’s Boobs
+Awesome 80’s Theme
-Hard to follow
-Slow/Boring Periods
[3/5]
Edited by Robert Olarte