Atomic Blonde Review - Kudos to Leitch and Theron

With God knows how much stunt work under his belt and uncredited work directing John Wick, it's hardly surprising David Leitch creates virtuosic action set-pieces in this Wick-ish Cold War espionage thriller. The standout is undoubtedly a grueling 'one-shot' fight in a staircase, though Charlize Theron fully commits to the physically demanding role of MI6 ace Lorraine, just as much as she did in Monster.

The plot isn't up to much. Spies, double-agents and generic Russians in the run-up to the Berlin Wall falling. Naturally there's a slew of period pop songs, often stapled to an action scene for juxtaposition and to entertain audiences a little bit without adding anything. No song use is used in a particularly effective or memorable, which highlights the film's emphasis on style. A cinema-screen fist fight is certainly pleasing to look at, although a tad contrived to put it there.

In addition, the narrative device of having Lorraine dictate what happened to superiors whilst cross-cutting to her time in Berlin grinds the pace to a halt, like it has reached a 155 KM long wall. Anyway, Theron's accent is solid, James McAvoy is clearly having a right lark and overall, Atomic Blonde is pretty enjoyable.

THREE AND A BIT STARS. A strong female character, but clearly made from a male perspective.