No Wallflower
Atomic Blonde
Review by Ross Anthony

Mixed review here. I'm a fan of Charlize Theron, and I liked the pulpy gritty way they're setting her up here. That said, I was not knocked out by her performance, though if I was a male stunt actor in this film – I certainly would have been. She plays the character almost emotionless, certainly charmless, and with limited dialogue – I guess the hope is that she'll be stunning visually enough to compensate. I wouldn't say "stunning," but interesting – and I greatly appreciated the gritty unglamor she endures and displays.

The plot is a bit confusing, but doesn't feel worth trying to figure out anyway. It's just some twisty turny vehicle upon which to hang what the film does best – fight scenes and stylish cinematography. In fact, there's a 10-15 minute chase/fight sequence nearer to the end that is fantastic. It kept my eyes wide open, my jaw down, and my breath a bit taken. Within that sequence is a fight scene on a stairway that awed me. The camera swims in and out of the skirmish narrowly dodging falling bodies. How did they do that?! I want to know!

Berlin 1989 is the backdrop (the year the wall came down), with a 80's soundtrack that rocks. Btw, I was in Berlin in 1989 – happily, my visit, while fascinating, was far tamer than this film.

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  • Atomic Blonde. Copyright © 2017.
  • Starring Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella. Directed by David Leitch. Focus Features.

Grade..........................B (2/4)


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Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.


Last Modified: Tuesday, 08-Aug-2017 10:45:28 PDT