150 Word Review: 'Atomic Blonde' (2017)
Le Carré'd away
In an alternate reality, Charlize Theron stars as super-secret agent Lorraine Broughton in multiple Atomic Blonde sequels set in the ’90s and early aughts.
David Leitch’s kitschy, kinetic Cold War flick Atomic Blonde didn’t deliver the boffo box office studios wanted, which is a shame, because Theron is a fantastic action star. She’s physically formidable; you do not want to be on the receiving end of her kicks. She’s equally skilled at switching her vulnerability on and off. When necessary, she becomes a cold-blooded killer, hunting down a stolen list of undercover MI6 and CIA agents.
The film is set in a personal historical favorite: East Berlin in the weeks leading up to the fall of the Wall. James McAvoy plays a debauched, chain-smoking, tinker-tailor-soldier-spy living alongside the Commies. The 80s soundtrack crackles with iconic hits like New Order’s Blue Monday and ’Til Tuesday’s Voices Carry. The violence is bruising.
Except as Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman, Charlize Theron has never been more imperial.
By far and away my fave Theron movie, THE best music, and part of my workout playlist.