Film Review - Atomic Blonde (2017)

Atomic Blonde is set in November 1989 one week before the Berlin Wall fell down and a MI6 operative named Lorraine (Charlize Theron) is sent behind the Iron Curtain to track down a list that contains every double agent and her contact is David Percival (James McAvoy) but life in Berlin in the 80s is a murky place where information, secrets and loyalties can be bought at a price and survival is key.

I was really looking forward to this movie mainly because it looked like for me a throwback to the 80s eurotrash action thrillers we got a lot of back then and it had both Theron and McAvoy who in particular was coming off his huge success in Split but could the film deliver the goods?

Absolutely it did as I absolutely loved every moment of this movie and first off I have to start with the action sequences which are fantastic to watch as much like John Wick which was co directed by David Leitch who also made this movie you just feel every punch, hit, kick and use of weapons both gun fire and hand held and they have this very real and non choreographed feel to them and when put to some great 80s songs they really come to life.

And that is where I will go next and that is the soundtrack hearing all of these great 80s pop hits really brought the film to life and enhanced the murky world in which all of these characters live 2 real standout soundtrack choices were Cities in Dust by Siouxsie and the Banshees and I Ran So Far Away by a Flock of Seagulls.

But next I have to talk about the cast and first Theron is just fantastic here effortlessly carrying the film on her shoulders (this was very much a passion project for her as she also produced this film) and really throwing herself into the many fight scenes she has in the film, Sofia Boutella from Kingsman is also very good here as are Toby Jones and John Goodman but the show stealer here is definitely Mr McAvoy for not only does he look like a cross between Vernon Wells from Commando and a frontman for a Queen cover group but he just lifts every scene he’s in and infuses it with a great energy and charisma and shows once and for all that you just don’t fuck with the Horde.

But lastly I have to talk about just how well this movie captures that period of Berlin in the 80s first with the wonderful use of news footage from that period but also just how murky this world feels this was the epicentre of East vs West with some in the East going to great lengths to escape to the West and to freedom and it was also a place where as I described above is a place where information, secrets and loyalties can be bought and traded like commodities and as someone who loves this era and has read many newspaper stories and articles through news archives it all felt very authentic but this will be lost on some viewers.

And so that was Atomic Blonde which is easily one of my favourite films of the year so far and it felt like a film that Paul Verhoeven, Luc Besson or John McTiernan could have made back in 1989 or the early 90s I strongly recommend this one, 4 and a half out of 5.