Atomic Blonde

Stylish, eye-popping, bouncy. The story, acting, music are energetic and fun. The plot is not realistic even though it references some of the realities of a time and place: Berlin, Germany, 1989. (I like the disclaimer at the beginning that gives the historical background and then says, This is not that story.)

What this is, of course, is an adaptation of a graphic novel, "The Coldest City". The title "Atomic Blonde" is rather campy, though it suggests the nuclear threat that was on everyone's mind at the time.

Reality, also of course, need not apply here. I agree with those who say that this is the answer to the call for a female James Bond. This probably better than the Broccoli people would do it. It is amusing that people - including me - pair this movie with "Red Sparrow" because the latter movie is actually more realistic than this one in its use of a female spy who uses sex first and violence sparingly because she knows she can't sustain a physical fight with ten men (or even one powerful man) without a gun or at least sharp objects.

Charleze Theron is a kick-butt fantasy. She can do anything physical that she has to. Not only fending off multiple male attackers but jumping off of balconies with makeshift ropes and pulleys and counterweights made out of bad guys.

I liked the twists in the plot and the surprise ending. It is part of the fun.

Loraine Broughton navigates a world where she quickly realizes that everybody is out to betray everybody else, and somebody has decided to have everybody gang up on her. Does she whine about it? Only a little. Mostly she just deals with it by shooting or kicking somebody in the head.

The spycraft is a bit contrived not to say outright laughable. Somebody does not understand that the purpose of a code name is to obscure the person or thing the spies are talking about. So "Spyglass" is a very bad code name for a spy or asset. And "the list" is a very bad code name for a maguffin that is, in fact, a list. (I recently read a spy novel by a real life spy in which an operative's code name is "Tulip". See the difference?)

My pet peeves with some critics are that 1) The present generation did not invent feminism. That is not necessarily a thing that is anachronistic about this movie. In the 1980s, women were already making headway into previously male-dominated professions. 2) This movie was not an ad for tobacco but a reflection of how much a lot of people still smoked in the '80s.

ATOMIC BLONDE is 100% Charlize Theron's movie. From start to finish she captivates our attention. As government agent, Lorraine Broughton, Ms. Theron is an explosive, one-woman strike force, engaging in several stylish, highly-memorable martial arts fights and gun battles. The plot is filled with intrigue, double and triple crosses, as well as a few poignant moments.

Sitting through an inquiry, Lorraine tells her story in flashback sequences. All of the action takes place in Cold War-era East and West Berlin. Lorraine is attempting to retreive some vital information, and get it out of the East. Many surprising twists develop along the way.

A fantastic spy thriller with a great finale...

Atomic Blonde is the story of a British secret agent (Theron) who gets sent to East Germany around the time of the Berlin Wall removal. Her task - find the list of British agents that is apparently for sale and will endanger all of Britain's undercover agents.

The storyline is a bit hard to follow, purposely, which is the biggest negative. You are unsure who is a good guy or bad guy or something in between, or both, or neither. The mystery is supposed to build intrigue but it also builds confusion too.

It is clear that the Russians are the bad guys. James McAvoy delivers a great portrayal of the British agent on site who has the most info of anyone about the truth. But can he be trusted? Americans are involved, as well as the French. John Goodman also delivers as the CIA head, with Sofia Boutella (Star Trek Beyond) playing a sexy junior French agent.

The acting is outstanding. McAvoy seems crazy. Goodman is secretive. Theron is inspecting and questioning everything as she tries to discover the truth.

There is terrific use of colors and David Bowie music. The highlights are the fighting scenes that show just how tough Theron really is. Watch the Extra Features to learn all the training she put in to get in shape to kick butt. There is one long fight scene that spills into the stairway that will blow your mind.

The ending is a pretty good twist, which you may or may not suspect, since there is such big confusion about agents' loyalties. The director also leaves open the door for a sequel which I believe Theron has signed on for.

If you like a sexy, strong, somewhat violent spy movie, Atomic Blonde will blow you away. Enjoy!

'Atomic Blonde' is one of those movies that I can watch over and over again and it just doesn't lose its impact. When I saw the movie for the first time I had no expectations and I was more than convinced. Since then it is one of my favorite movies and that although it is certainly not a masterpiece.

In the intro, you already get a foretaste of the direction the movie is going to take, which is then consistently followed through. The movie doesn't lose its pace over the entire runtime. There is no real hole.

The entire atmosphere feels incredibly authentic. The whole thing is underpinned by a really stylish, cool and coherent soundtrack, which strongly underpins the images shown.

The only point of criticism is the plot. It seems a bit confused and essentially serves to explain why a character gets from A to B. The story isn't really complicated, but you still think to yourself at some points, just accept it and don't question it.

But you can turn a blind eye to that, because the actual plot is in the background for me here. The overall look and feel paired with the really strong fight choreography let you quickly overlook it.

And that brings us to the crucial point. The movie has incredibly strong fight scenes. The camera is close up throughout and all the fights look handmade. That's what I want to see and not cut-up action where you can't see anything or which is just bristling with GCI. Some action movies can take a leaf out of this book. Showing and not hinting is the motto here. One of the best scenes of the whole movie is a several minutes long plan sequence in a house. I find this impressive every time. In these moments, the movie reminds me of a reduced, well dosed John Wick, only the setting and the framework story appeals more to me personally.

All in all, 'Atomic Blonde' is a solid agent thriller, which can more than convince with its atmosphere, look and fight scenes. In terms of plot, familiar structures, motifs and sequences are used. If you can overlook that, then you can really have fun with the movie.

Action - tick One shot fight scene - tick Great soundtrack - tick Atmospheric- tick Charlize - tick tick boom

I developed a major girl crush on Charlize after watching this.

That is all.