![]() ![]() “Red Sparrow” is the sort of sumptuous, globe-trotting production that takes us to the Bolshoi, Budapest and London - not to mention the aforementioned “whore school,” where would-be spies are trained to be both deadly and seductive - but it’s the sort of listless affair where it’s easy to tune out and start noticing locations from other movies. Ultimately, this brand of dazzle camouflage is no more successful than casting Aussie actor Joel Edgerton as CIA agent Nate Nash (no, really) to make it less noticeable that most of the Russians are played by Americans, Brits and Belgians. Neither intelligent enough to be involving nor fun enough to be trashy, this is a movie that would only work if it were a little worse or a lot better.Īs it is, Lawrence’s reunion with director Francis Lawrence (the second through fourth “Hunger Games” movies) does at least amp up the sex and violence in an attempt to cover up the fact that the story feels grafted together from any number of spy sagas, not to mention the USSR flashbacks from “The Americans” and “The Avengers: Age of Ultron.” Even behind a distracting wig and hammy Russian-inflected accent, she’s fierce and committed in the lead role, while the dependably excellent Edgerton just about elevates the vanilla role of Nash into something more intriguing.I’m sorry, “Red Sparrow,” but you can’t just throw out a brilliantly terrible line like “You sent me to whore school!” - spit out angrily by Jennifer Lawrence, in a Russian accent, no less - and then not live up to that level of wildness for your entire running time. Lawrence, the director, conjures compelling evidence for Dominika’s dual allegiances - her growing relationship with the American agent feels convincing, but the punishingly brutal regime of Charlotte Rampling’s stern matron throws doubt into the mix as Lawrence, the actor, is put through the wringer. ![]() The film constantly teases Dominika’s shifting loyalties: has her training destroyed her free will and sexual agency, or given her the tools to remain in control of her actions and her body in a vicious patriarchal world? Some will be satisfied by the conclusion to Red Sparrow’s challenging subject matter, but those tired of rape and torture tropes may not be willing to stick around for it.Īlong the way, Red Sparrow packs in a tightly-woven plot as Dominika makes careful contact with Nash on her mission. Dominika’s body is commoditised by the state and she’s expected to surrender and weaponise it for the cause, leading to some moments of shockingly stark nudity and brutality. Its sexual politics are complex and knotty, with several scenes destined to cause controversy. Viewers expecting a playful and action-packed thriller, be warned: Red Sparrow is surprisingly hard-edged, with uncompromising and unflinching depictions of torture and sexual violence. Red Sparrow becomes easier to enjoy the less you try to untangle its more disturbing plot points. She’s dispatched to Sparrow School to join an elite group of agents taught who use their sexuality to lure in unsuspecting targets, before receiving her first mission: uncover Nash’s mole. Faced with few options to keep a roof over her mother’s head, Dominika is pushed by her domineering uncle Ivan ( Matthias Schoenaerts in decidedly Putin-esque prosthetics) into becoming an operative for the Russian government. ![]() It’s a confident opener, deftly setting up both strands of the dual narrative before they inevitably become tangled. This time she’s Dominika, a fast-rising ballerina whose career is cut brutally short in a beautifully-shot opening sequence that juxtaposes her final stage performance against the careful dance between CIA Agent Nate Nash ( Edgerton) and his secret informant. But Francis Lawrence’s steely thriller, based on the first of Jason Matthews’ trilogy of novels, shares more DNA with John Le Carré’s densely-plotted espionage page-turners than the MCU.įor his first film since directing the final three Hunger Games instalments, Lawrence has once again recruited Jennifer Lawrence (no relation) to play a young woman forced into a life of violence by society. It’s no wonder that when Red Sparrow was announced, Marvel fans thought they were getting their much-wished-for Black Widow movie in everything but name. ![]()
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