Atomic Blonde Drops Kilotons of Action and Style

I consider myself to be something of a connoisseur when it comes to action films, having grown up in the Commando/Rambo era. And along comes a film that manages to titillate my palette for all the things that I love about the action genre, Atomic Blonde starring Charlize Theron and directed by David Leitch.

Based on the graphic novel The Coldest City, the story takes place in 1989 Berlin after the end of the Cold War, where Lorraine Broughton (Theron), a top-level spy for MI6, is dispatched to take down a ruthless espionage ring that has just killed an undercover agent for reasons unknown. She is ordered to cooperate with Berlin station chief David Percival (James McAvoy), and the two form an uneasy alliance, unleashing their full arsenal of skills in pursuing a threat that jeopardizes the West’s entire intelligence operation.

The first thing that sticks out in this film is its style, with a big blaring capital hot pink neon “S.” The cool factor of the various locales during the ’80s are in full effect here, from Berlin’s underground punk scene, to the perpetual fashion icon that Paris has been and always will be. The colors for each setting let you know exactly what part of the world you are at that point.

Subtle setting, slamming action
In spite of the fact that this is set in 1989, it’s very subtle at first glance. David Leitch was very careful to make a period piece without turning every ’80s nod into an-in-your-face cliché. Atomic Blonde could have easily been a modern day spy movie if little things like people playing Tetris on an Apple II computer had been omitted, and the viewer would have been none the wiser.

All the true ’80s references were saved for the soundtrack; from “Der Kommissar” to the all too appropriate “99 Luftballons,” this soundtrack was a musical time capsule.

The action was insanely kinetic as well, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from one of the men responsible for the first John Wick movie. David Leitch’s fight choreography is masterful, no two fights ever felt the same and all had a grittiness that I would compare to Daniel Craig’s James Bond — brutal, harsh and unforgiving.

From an acting standpoint for what it was, it was solid. James McAvoy chewed the scenery as the eccentric Agent Percival, I get that this was 1989 and he was supposed to be a party boy, but he’s also a member of MI6, a little more subtlety in his performance would have done that role wonders.

John Goodman’s stern father figure presence, while doing nothing for the overall narrative, was welcomed nonetheless.

Also it was nice to see Sofia Boutella actually allowed a speaking role for a change. Her part in this story isn’t large, but extremely important.

And then there Charlize Theron, who at this point in her career has cornered the market on the Femme Fatale trope. I’m not sure if she did much stunt work for this one, but she never looks like a novice when she is engaging in fisticuffs. And I am grateful that David Leitch didn’t just portray her as a dude in a dress.

So ultimately I had a lot of fun with Atomic Blonde, while it neither subverts nor reinvents the action genre, it gives you what you paid for. It’s great popcorn flick, and one that warrants a repeat viewing.

Atomic Blonde (Universal, R)  — 4 out of 5.