Atomic Blonde is Charlize Theron’s new spy/action flick set in 1989 Berlin. If this film didn’t have one of the directors of John Wick (and thus its fights scenes) and if it didn’t star Charlie Theron, then it would be a pretty run-of-the-mill and kind of forgettable spy film. But it does star Theron and it does have remarkable action scenes and those two things save the film.
Set in East and West Berlin days before the Berlin Wall falls, the film sends in Charlize Theron’s MI6 agent in to retrieve a stolen list of secret agents. Yes, you’ve seen this plot before only now with statuesque Theron as the super spy. She’s really good… though she’s not asked to do a lot – her character is an icy/stoic, non-nonsense spy who goes in and kicks all the ass. There’s no back story or really much of a personality beyond a bit of sly sarcasm.
But the actions scenes are really good… though a lot were spoiled in the trailer. And then, near the end of the film, there’s an amazing and utterly brutal fight scene that I’d guess is about ten minutes long. It’s all filmed as though it were one continuous shot, starting an elevator, down the stairs, and eventually out into the street in a car chase. No music, just crunching sound effects. The stunt work and choreography are amazing… and it’s not slick. The characters get hurt, get tired, and fall over. The wounds Theron takes are there for the rest of the film which I appreciated.
The soundtrack to the movie is all 80s era classics… a good mix of songs but a lot of them really on-the-nose. Very few deep cuts here. We get versions of 99 Luftbalons, Der Kammisar, Father Figure, Voices Carry, Under Pressure, Major Tom (in German), and Fight the Power (NWA… one of these things is not like the other). It’s a fun use of songs but maybe just a bit too familiar.
So, yes, this is a good film for its action and for giving Charlize Theron a cool character to play. It’d like to see her back for a sequel. It’s a kind of by-the-numbers spy film otherwise and that’s not really a compliment. It’s cool and stylish through and has a good soundtrack. This is a mild recommendation, made stronger if you like John Wick, Charlize Theron, or both.
Score: 80