Atômica

So many negative reviews - why I wondered. Then it sunk in. Many viewers misunderstood the premise. This film was adapted from a graphic novel series, basically adult comic books. Don't compare it to The Spy who Came in from the Cold; instead think Sin City.

It's obviously a vehicle for Charlize Theron, and it works. Whenever she's in a scene (which is almost every scene), it's impossible to take your eyes off her. I have one question: When she emerges from the ice bath in the beginning and we see her looking at her reflection, how did they manage the lighting & camera to make her eyes look almost reptilian?

I love Charlize, but I'm getting a little tired of James, as he seems to be everywhere lately. This movie looked great, and I love the era, especially with the background story of the Berlin wall, but I just didn't care about the characters much, nor the story. The action was fantastic though, and I wish there were more of it. Perhaps a laugh or too occasionally would have helped as well.

It's 1989 in the days before the fall of the Berlin wall. British agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is sent in to retrieve a list of agents. David Percival (James McAvoy) is her contact. Delphine Lasalle (Sofia Boutella) becomes her lover. After the mission, she is debriefed by CIA Emmett Kurzfeld (John Goodman) and MI6 Eric Gray (Toby Jones).

There is the music, the action, and the lesbian sex. I love the hose fight. There is such great intensity. The car chase is also right up there. This movie has great sequences. The story itself is a muddle of unknowable characters and simplistic plot devices. The biggest sin is the flashforward debriefing scene. It takes away the danger and it also grinds down the pacing. It should have been done straight up timeline. This could have been a fun spy romp but the storytelling is so jumbo that I stopped caring about the plot or the characters.

Entertaining flick about the well-known spy game, set in the last days of East Berlin, before the Wall came down. Impressive performance by Charlize Theron and interesting storytelling in flashback mode, playing with the spectator's beliefs and disbeliefs. A lot of tough action, maybe too much and certainly unrealistic, but including surprising stunt shots and editing that keep up the pace of the movie. Somewhat predictable and perhaps therefore disappointing towards the end, but not worse than other films of this genre.

What a great nights entertainment. Clever, well acted, sexy and demanding, with everything that a spy/action movie should have but classier. DO NOT believe any of the pretentious reviews that look to bag this movie - it's great. Both leads are terrific.