185.
Red Sparrow
6/10
Jennifer Lawrence is about to take to our screens on a screen adaptation, on a book that goes by the same name. Jason Matthews, a former member of the CIA, helped on the production, after writing the book, mainly based around the Soviet use of Sexpionage. We can see the focus on this in the trailer alone, as if focuses on scenes of men looking lustfully at Lawrence's character, in a number of scenes. A number of rumors circulated before this movie came out, which mainly involved Jennifer Lawrence telling the press that she would be taking a break from movies for a while after this finished filming. This was going to be her first ever first nude scene, which would obviously make the press interested, whether in a positive way or body shaming, considering some of the controversies that have surrounded her in the past few years. It was clear to see that she was willing to put the work and passion in, learning ballet and the Russian accent, to get ready for the role, so let's see if this was going to be a full-bodied story or simply a cold front.
The movie begins with a ballet dressed, Dominika Egorova, who is a lead ballerina for a company of Russia. This company takes care of her and her ill mother, whilst she wows the audience. When the lead male accidentally falls and breaks Dominika's leg, her career and money flow are done. Her uncle quickly steps in and suggests that she works for him as an assassin, which is a bit of a major step for a dancer, surely. She is willing to do everything that she can for her mother. Her first target is a man called Dimitri, who proceeds to rape her but during the act, a masked assailant comes in and strangles him to death. She is then taken to the Sparrow school, as an alternative to death, because she witnessed the murder and they want to tie up all loose ends. She is then put through different tests and situations, in order to learn what to do to become a Sparrow. This is where we see men, forcing themselves on the girl recruits in the shower, to show their dominance to their own teachers. Dominika pulls off a shower handle and smashes it into her attackers face, before leaving him battered on the floor. The next day in class, the Matron isn't too happy that the boy didn't succeed in his attack and wants him to try again, but with Dominika also showing her dominance. She decides to take command and instantly drops her clothes, sitting on the desk, asking this guy to do his worst, to which he seems set back and unable to 'perform', due to her attitude and anger. This was the scene that everyone was talking about and it seems that it could have gone a little over the top, just to shock and awe.
The way that she has improved, has probably helped her worth now and she is removed from the training, earlier than expected. She is set onto a mission by her uncle and a General played by Jeremey Irons. Her new target is an American CIA member named Nate Nash and if that's not an America name, I don't know what is. This guy is played by Joel Edgerton and we can already figure that they get close, thanks to the trailer. She is put into an apartment with Marta, who is also a recruit from the Sparrow school. She uses her looks and body, to make Nate interested, swimming in the same swimming pool as him and then being at a convention with him. They get close and Nate ends up trying to convince Dominika to become a double agent and work with him and the CIA. Back at her flat, Dominika tells Marta that she was there the night that Ustinov was killed, the kill at the beginning, which Marta runs back to her superior with. I'm not sure she liked the outcome though, as she gets skinned and gutted, being left in her own bathtub for Dominika to find. There is a lot of back and fore in this movie, as now Dominika is with Nate's bosses, under going a lie detector test, telling them that Marta was meeting with an American who was supplying the Russians with information. Her name is Stephanie, code-name Swan and with Marta out of the way, Dominika and Maxim, her superior, proceed to meet her for the exchange. It doesn't go to plan though, as the bird is drunk and gets spooked, running in front of a bus and she's dead as disco. Dominika is then instead taken back to Russia for questioning and a cheeky bit of torture. Maxim is shot in the head, whilst Dominika is allowed to get back out there and find out who the main mole is in all of this. Even I'm clueless now!
The scene changes as Dominika and Nate reunite, sleeping with each other and she wakes to him tied up, being tortured. She joins in, before turning on the torturer, stabbing him and continuing the fight until her and Nate survive with some bad injuries. She wakes in the hospital to the General, played by Jeremy Irons, revealing to her that he is the mole. His reason being that he is angry with the Russians because they wouldn't let an American operate on his dying wife. He allows our main spy, do with the information as she will, resigning himself to his fate. We see her call it in, with the name of the mole and the scene changes to her making an exchange with a masked man, who is believed to be the Russian contact. When the mask is unveiled, it turns out to be the uncle who has undergone the torture. We are instantly thrust into some throw backs showing that Dominika set him up in various ways. He is then shot in the head before he reaches the Americans and tells them who he actually is.
The movie goes on to end with Dominika receiving a decoration from the General as the Matron is in the audience. She is then shown at home with her mother, before she gets a call and ballet music plays, just like Nate plays for her as a calling card.
Out of all of the spy movies that I've had the privilege to watch, this is a long way from the best, even the comedy ones. I don't plan on ever reading the book that this movie was based on, but it would always help to see how much the screenwriter carved up when it came to making this movie. Lawrence does ok with this movie but the lame Russian accent doesn't help with enjoying the movie too much. It's a very gritty and dark movie, which really does help with its topic and story but when it comes to the dialogue, it does seem quite boring. The whole thing seems to want to show the Russians as a sick, twisted nation, whilst the Americans are angelic within it all. If I was asked to recommend this, the answer would have been to save your money and wait for it to come on TV, like I wish I had.
The scene changes as Dominika and Nate reunite, sleeping with each other and she wakes to him tied up, being tortured. She joins in, before turning on the torturer, stabbing him and continuing the fight until her and Nate survive with some bad injuries. She wakes in the hospital to the General, played by Jeremy Irons, revealing to her that he is the mole. His reason being that he is angry with the Russians because they wouldn't let an American operate on his dying wife. He allows our main spy, do with the information as she will, resigning himself to his fate. We see her call it in, with the name of the mole and the scene changes to her making an exchange with a masked man, who is believed to be the Russian contact. When the mask is unveiled, it turns out to be the uncle who has undergone the torture. We are instantly thrust into some throw backs showing that Dominika set him up in various ways. He is then shot in the head before he reaches the Americans and tells them who he actually is.
The movie goes on to end with Dominika receiving a decoration from the General as the Matron is in the audience. She is then shown at home with her mother, before she gets a call and ballet music plays, just like Nate plays for her as a calling card.
Out of all of the spy movies that I've had the privilege to watch, this is a long way from the best, even the comedy ones. I don't plan on ever reading the book that this movie was based on, but it would always help to see how much the screenwriter carved up when it came to making this movie. Lawrence does ok with this movie but the lame Russian accent doesn't help with enjoying the movie too much. It's a very gritty and dark movie, which really does help with its topic and story but when it comes to the dialogue, it does seem quite boring. The whole thing seems to want to show the Russians as a sick, twisted nation, whilst the Americans are angelic within it all. If I was asked to recommend this, the answer would have been to save your money and wait for it to come on TV, like I wish I had.
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