Atomic Blonde. Charlize Theron. Holy Shit! -- No Spoilers

[Baitball Blogger]

Last edited Sun Jul 30, 2017, 09:32 AM - Edit history (1)

I didn't go into that movie thinking "Charlize Theron. Holy Shit." But I practically danced out of that theater thinking "Charlize Theron! Holy Shit!"

First, Atomic Blonde is such a put-down title. Even "Salt" would have been better, but that title was already taken. The movie takes place mostly in Berlin in the days before, during and after the Berlin Wall came down. That historical event was the backdrop for all the spy machinations that were going on behind the scenes, or on the silver screen, as it were.

The movie is told in a clever way. Starts in real time, and then the events that involve Charlize Theron's character, Lorraine Broughton, are told during a first person debriefing. On par with the Russian spy stories that we remember from the eighties, and lots of good eighties songs to help score the scenes. In fact, I thought, geez, we should never have let our guard down with the Russians. This movie will help get us back on track.

Lots of twists and turns, which is why there is no point to say more and ruin the fun. You might think that the movie might lag in parts as they develop characters, but it's so worth it. At first, I thought the graffiti paint font they used to cue in the scenes was a bit juvenile, like the title, but I understand that the font references the graffiti paint on the Berlin Wall, and I take it as an invitation to suspend disbelief and enjoy a movie that is as good, if not better, than a Super hero movie.

[Fla Dem]

1. Thanks for a great review. Wasn't particularly interested in the movie.

But now you really have my interest piqued. Definitely will put it on my "to see" list. You might also want to post in the Movies forum.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Thank you!

I definitely would love to hear from you after you see it. I think that the reason why it was such a surprise is that it had a tight supporting cast and you could understand the relationships between each other. Good acting, even from the newbies.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

3. Title is from the graphic novel.

Good to hear it is as good as the previews indicate.

[DFW]

4. I almost refused to see it because of American Airlines

Now, I will try to see it while I'm here in the States. Yesterday, while on 2 AA flights, I saw an article about the film in the AA magazine where the headline said it was partly filmed in the Czech city of Budapest.

I thought, "who needs to see a film where the review is handed to lazy idiots?"

[Initech]

5. Saw it yesterday. Loved it!

The older people sitting in front of me got up and left during Charlize's love scene. Their loss!