Spine tingling espionage films have been a common Hollywood staple since films have almost been around. The list is endless, but a handful are "Three Days of the Condor" '75, "Body of Lies" '08, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" '11, "Bridge of Spies" '15, and the like. So it's no surprise that Hollywood would soon be throwing another spy film to us in the form of "Red Sparrow".
Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is many things. A devoted daughter determined to protect her mother, Nina (Joely Richardson) at all costs. A prima ballerina whose ferocity has pushed her body and mind to the absolute limit. And is a master of seductive and manipulative combat. When she suffers a career-ending injury, Dominika and her mother are facing a bleak and uncertain future. That is why she finds herself manipulated by her uncle, Vanya Egorov (Matthias Schoenaerts) in becoming the newest recruit for Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people like her to use their bodies and minds as weapons. After enduring the perverse and sadistic training process, she emerges as a spy in order to target a CIA agent, Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton) that ends up threatening to unravel the security of both nations.
Others to round out the cast are Charlotte Rampling as Matron, Mary-Louise Parker as Stephanie Boucher, Ciaran Hinds as Zakharov, Bill Camp as Marty Gable, Jeremy Irons as General Korchnoi, Thekla Reuten as Marta and Douglas Hodge as Marim Volontov.
This was well directed by veteran Francis Lawrence ("Constantine" '05, "I Am Legend" '07, "Water for Elephants" '11, "Gotham" (TV movie) '12, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" '13, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay--Part 1" '14, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-- Part 2" '15) plus TV and a ton of video shorts. I'm sure since this filmmaker has been around a while, he is able to make his actors appear as the people they are playing are as realistic as they are. Of course, Lawrence, Edgerton, Irons and Schoenaerts are consummate in their fields, still this takes true directing talent from the one in the director's chair. Considering Lawrence was in the Hunger Games franchise, she has certainly evolved into roles such as this one. It was adequately written by Justin Haythe ("The Clearing" '04, "Revolutionary Road" '08, "Snitch" '13, "The Lone Ranger" '13, "A Cure for Wellness" '16) based on the book by Jason Matthews. Even though this had an intriguing premise, it not only moved too slow, but it just wasn't as cohesive as it could've been. It had spots of jumpiness and a lack of tightness in script. Though this story picked up about three quarters the way through, it was not enough to make up for the difficult ride in getting there. It was not a total wash, such as the twist and turns nearing the end were unexpected and the performances by Lawrence, Edgerton, Schoenaerts and Irons were riveting. Maybe Haythe will succeed with his next project, "Bohemian Rhapsody" which is post production due for a 2018 release. We'll see. Certainly any of these actors will go on to making quality films as they usually are able to do.
Not sure what happened to Haythe while writing this. Bad day at the laptop? Not sure, but his resume proves he is a talented and profitable writer. Certainly if the genre of espionage is your favorite, this will suit you, but don't be surprised that this drags a bit for even the most staunchest of fans.
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: R 140mins.
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