Atomic Blonde (2017) User Reviews

Convincingly good fight scenes

[Toph-22 · 8/10 · 24 October 2021]

'Atomic Blonde' is one of those movies that I can watch over and over again and it just doesn't lose its impact. When I saw the movie for the first time I had no expectations and I was more than convinced. Since then it is one of my favorite movies and that although it is certainly not a masterpiece.

In the intro, you already get a foretaste of the direction the movie is going to take, which is then consistently followed through. The movie doesn't lose its pace over the entire runtime. There is no real hole.

The entire atmosphere feels incredibly authentic. The whole thing is underpinned by a really stylish, cool and coherent soundtrack, which strongly underpins the images shown.

The only point of criticism is the plot. It seems a bit confused and essentially serves to explain why a character gets from A to B. The story isn't really complicated, but you still think to yourself at some points, just accept it and don't question it.

But you can turn a blind eye to that, because the actual plot is in the background for me here. The overall look and feel paired with the really strong fight choreography let you quickly overlook it.

And that brings us to the crucial point. The movie has incredibly strong fight scenes. The camera is close up throughout and all the fights look handmade. That's what I want to see and not cut-up action where you can't see anything or which is just bristling with GCI. Some action movies can take a leaf out of this book. Showing and not hinting is the motto here. One of the best scenes of the whole movie is a several minutes long plan sequence in a house. I find this impressive every time. In these moments, the movie reminds me of a reduced, well dosed John Wick, only the setting and the framework story appeals more to me personally.

All in all, 'Atomic Blonde' is a solid agent thriller, which can more than convince with its atmosphere, look and fight scenes. In terms of plot, familiar structures, motifs and sequences are used. If you can overlook that, then you can really have fun with the movie.

Putting out Fire with Gasoline

[v_danilovic · 8/10 · 31 July 2022]

So many negative reviews - why I wondered. Then it sunk in. Many viewers misunderstood the premise. This film was adapted from a graphic novel series, basically adult comic books. Don't compare it to The Spy who Came in from the Cold; instead think Sin City.

It's obviously a vehicle for Charlize Theron, and it works. Whenever she's in a scene (which is almost every scene), it's impossible to take your eyes off her. I have one question: When she emerges from the ice bath in the beginning and we see her looking at her reflection, how did they manage the lighting & camera to make her eyes look almost reptilian?

This is Entertaining Though Not Everyone's Cup of Tea

[Miles-10 · 8/10 · 2 December 2018]

Stylish, eye-popping, bouncy. The story, acting, music are energetic and fun. The plot is not realistic even though it references some of the realities of a time and place: Berlin, Germany, 1989. (I like the disclaimer at the beginning that gives the historical background and then says, This is not that story.)

What this is, of course, is an adaptation of a graphic novel, "The Coldest City". The title "Atomic Blonde" is rather campy, though it suggests the nuclear threat that was on everyone's mind at the time.

Reality, also of course, need not apply here. I agree with those who say that this is the answer to the call for a female James Bond. This probably better than the Broccoli people would do it. It is amusing that people - including me - pair this movie with "Red Sparrow" because the latter movie is actually more realistic than this one in its use of a female spy who uses sex first and violence sparingly because she knows she can't sustain a physical fight with ten men (or even one powerful man) without a gun or at least sharp objects.

Charleze Theron is a kick-butt fantasy. She can do anything physical that she has to. Not only fending off multiple male attackers but jumping off of balconies with makeshift ropes and pulleys and counterweights made out of bad guys.

I liked the twists in the plot and the surprise ending. It is part of the fun.

Loraine Broughton navigates a world where she quickly realizes that everybody is out to betray everybody else, and somebody has decided to have everybody gang up on her. Does she whine about it? Only a little. Mostly she just deals with it by shooting or kicking somebody in the head.

The spycraft is a bit contrived not to say outright laughable. Somebody does not understand that the purpose of a code name is to obscure the person or thing the spies are talking about. So "Spyglass" is a very bad code name for a spy or asset. And "the list" is a very bad code name for a maguffin that is, in fact, a list. (I recently read a spy novel by a real life spy in which an operative's code name is "Tulip". See the difference?)

My pet peeves with some critics are that 1) The present generation did not invent feminism. That is not necessarily a thing that is anachronistic about this movie. In the 1980s, women were already making headway into previously male-dominated professions. 2) This movie was not an ad for tobacco but a reflection of how much a lot of people still smoked in the '80s.

Great action but boring story

[funtasticfour · 6/10 · 6 December 2019]

I love Charlize, but I'm getting a little tired of James, as he seems to be everywhere lately. This movie looked great, and I love the era, especially with the background story of the Berlin wall, but I just didn't care about the characters much, nor the story. The action was fantastic though, and I wish there were more of it. Perhaps a laugh or too occasionally would have helped as well.

Style over substance

[tomgillespie2002 · 6/10 · 1 December 2017]

There is a scene about two-thirds into Atomic Blonde that will likely go down in cinema history as one of the most exhilarating displays of visual trickery and good-ol' fashioned stunt work that the action genre has ever offered. Charlize Theron's MI6 spook enters an apartment building in pre-Wall collapse Berlin with a wounded informant and battles gun-toting thugs up and down stairs, in and out of various rooms, using fists, knives, a crowbar, and just about anything else she can lay her hands on. It's a kinetic, utterly dazzling set-piece that eventually takes the violence outside and into a moving car, all in one long, mind-bogglingly complex take. It comes as no surprise that David Leitch, an uncredited director behind 2014's sleeper hit John Wick, is the man calling the shots.

This spectacular moment justifies whatever entry fee you paid to see Atomic Blonde, and highlights just what can be achieved with action cinema when a director like Leitch is the puppet-master behind it. Yet it also underlines the lack of heart and intrigue contained within the rest of this tale of double-agents and double-crosses whenever Theron's Lorraine Broughton isn't kicking butt. She is sent to a Berlin bristling with tension and distrust after MI6 agent James Gascoigne (Sam Hargrave) is murdered by KGB agent Yuri Bakhtin (Johannes Haukur Johannesson) and a wristwatch containing a microfilm list of intelligence agents is stolen. Her task is to find the list, assassinate a double agent known as Satchel, and rendezvous with David Percival (James McAvoy), a fellow agent who has recently 'gone feral'. Matters are complicated when Lorraine falls for young French agent Delphine (Sofia Boutella), and Stasi informant Spyglass (Eddie Marsan) reveals that he has memorised the contents of the microfilm.

Based on Antony Johnston and Sam Hart's graphic novel The Coldest City and re-titled Atomic Blonde to suit the 80's setting, the film looks slick, colourful and chocked full of period detail. While the grey streets of Berlin are laced with ice and stalked by shadowy double agents, the interiors show the German capital in 1989 as a catwalk for the newest fashions and a platform for great music. Theron dons a variety of outfits to suit whatever role she is playing in her mission, naturally looking great in the process, and will likely make many teenagers' dreams come true in her steamy scenes with Boutella. It's all very superficial, with very few characters succeeding to engage on an emotional level. Spyglass, a man trying to save his family from falling into the hands of the Russians and using every tool at his disposal to do so, is the most interesting character in the film. Marsan is always a delight to watch, and it's a shame he doesn't feature more than he does.

Although she certainly looks terrific, Lorraine doesn't really seem to do all that much. Her approach is to enter a room looking fabulous, receive information from the dodgiest-looking person in there, and proceed to dispatch anybody foolish enough to confront her. She's a wafer-thin protagonist, but Theron brings a great physicality to the role, and the actress is now the most accomplished action star working today. As Percival, McAvoy continues to impress with his ability to juggle the good guy, bad guy act. He did so to great effect in Trance and Split, and here he injects a Tyler Durden-esque fashion sense and swagger to his punk- rock rogue agent who may be Lorraine's largest obstacle. Ultimately, Atomic Blonde is a handsome, exciting action movie with fantastic physical performances all round and a central set-piece that will leave you as breathless as its participants. Anyone hoping for a deeper exploration of the shady world it so wonderfully sets up will leave frustratingly underwhelmed.

Violent and thrilling movie with noisy action , plot twists and paced in a comic-book style

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 28 June 2023]

Gripping and hair-rising film with plenty of unstopped action , crossfire , overwhelming fights and confusing pace by means of flashbacks. It concerns the crown jewel of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service , Agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is equal parts spycraft, sensuality and savagery, willing to deploy any of her skills to stay alive on her impossible mission. Sent alone into Berlin to deliver a priceless dossier out of the destabilized city, she partners with embedded station chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to navigate her way through the deadliest game of spies. In a pre-wall fall Berlin she meets enemy agents and double-agents , most of them do not know each other and supposedly have different targets , but nothing could be further from reality, since their missions intersect in ways that not even they suspect . There , Lorraine's forced into action and steadily butchering his unrelenting enemies , while inching ever closer to the long-awaited final denouement . Later on , she is brought in to be debriefed by MI6 executive Eric Gray (Toby Jones) , CIA agent Emmett Kurzfeld (John Goodman) and Chief 'C (James Faulkner) about her just-finished mission to Berlin. Under those circumstances, as both sides want the list desperately, and she's mercilessly pursued . Talents can be overrated !.

An attractive movie with strong struggles , kinetic energy , very high body-count , twists and turns . In the purest style of filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Atomic Blonde is all action, with charismatic , bizarre characters , explicit violence and a narrative structure with continuous time jumps . The picture based on the Oni Press graphic novel series "The Coldest City" written by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Sam Hart with screenplay by Kurt Johnstad . It's an action-packed film with an engaging mingle of suspense , shootouts , martial arts , gun-play and bloody struggles . The plot is complex and messy at times , it is due to it jumps between the debrief room and flashbacks to Lorraine's time in Berlin . This is a bone-chilling thriller with non-stop action , including impressive fighting with a lot of blood and gore . It's a mindless but enjoyable for thriller aficionados of the old style with a twisted intrigue about Cold War , but adding some new technical being made by means of digital computer generator as well as expert stunts . Abundant fist-fights and lethal fights in which arms and body parts are slice off here and there and limbs are slit open everywhere or blasted apart . Of course , highlights of the film are the impressive and groundbreaking fights with lots of blood dropping here and there . Stars Charlize Theron who did her own stunts , giving an acceptable acting as an undercover MI6 agent who is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents. Together with Theron, other good actors are part of the ensemble cast in the film with a lot of nice and familiar players , such as : James McAvoy as Percival , Eddie Marsan as Spyglass , John Goodman , Toby Jones , James Faulkner , Sofia Boutella , Roland Møller, Bill Skarsgård, Jóhannes Jóhannesson , Til Schweiger, Sam Hargrave and Barbara Sukowa.

It displays a moving and intrusive musical score by Tyler Bates , including modern disco music. As well as colorful and brilliant -though dark- cinematography by cameraman Jonathan Sela . The motion picture was competently directed by David Leitch , who began his career as Pitt's stunt double in The Fight Club. In fact , on the martial arts circuit, he met Chad Stahelski with whom has co-directed some films .Leitch who was living in LA, starting his career as a stuntman. Leitch is a martial artist, skilled in several arts such as: Muay Thai, Shootwrestling, boxing, wrestling, movie fights, and was a national competitor in Kickboxing. Leitch is well known producer/director of box office films , such as : John Wick (2014) , Deadpool: No Good Deed (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and Atomic Blonde (2017). Rating : 5.5/10 . Acceptable and passable , but neither extraordinary nor notable . The pic with appeal to Charlize Theron fans.

Charlize Theron kicks butt and takes names

[jb_campo · 7/10 · 7 December 2018]

Atomic Blonde is the story of a British secret agent (Theron) who gets sent to East Germany around the time of the Berlin Wall removal. Her task - find the list of British agents that is apparently for sale and will endanger all of Britain's undercover agents.

The storyline is a bit hard to follow, purposely, which is the biggest negative. You are unsure who is a good guy or bad guy or something in between, or both, or neither. The mystery is supposed to build intrigue but it also builds confusion too.

It is clear that the Russians are the bad guys. James McAvoy delivers a great portrayal of the British agent on site who has the most info of anyone about the truth. But can he be trusted? Americans are involved, as well as the French. John Goodman also delivers as the CIA head, with Sofia Boutella (Star Trek Beyond) playing a sexy junior French agent.

The acting is outstanding. McAvoy seems crazy. Goodman is secretive. Theron is inspecting and questioning everything as she tries to discover the truth.

There is terrific use of colors and David Bowie music. The highlights are the fighting scenes that show just how tough Theron really is. Watch the Extra Features to learn all the training she put in to get in shape to kick butt. There is one long fight scene that spills into the stairway that will blow your mind.

The ending is a pretty good twist, which you may or may not suspect, since there is such big confusion about agents' loyalties. The director also leaves open the door for a sequel which I believe Theron has signed on for.

If you like a sexy, strong, somewhat violent spy movie, Atomic Blonde will blow you away. Enjoy!

Better than most

[coachjacques · 8/10 · 23 May 2019]

What a great nights entertainment. Clever, well acted, sexy and demanding, with everything that a spy/action movie should have but classier. DO NOT believe any of the pretentious reviews that look to bag this movie - it's great. Both leads are terrific.

La Femme Nikita in Berlin

[mgruebel · 7/10 · 25 November 2018]

Leitch as director and Theron as producer really concocted a nice spy action film with Atomic Blonde. Set around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, it traces the attempt of a British agent (oh wait, or is it a CIA agent?) to prevent a list of friendly agents, available only engraved in a watch and in the mind of a German collaborator, to fall into the hands of the Russians. The film is framed by a debriefing, where Theron recounts her tale of sleuthing and mayhem.

The film bears much resemblance to Nikita, Luc Besson's female assassin film of 1990. Not coincidentally, Atomic Blonde is based on a graphic novel, and Besson was also a big fan of adapting graphic novels, as in "The Fifth Element," for example. Both films have a stylized touch, that works given the graphic (in all senses of the word!) theme.

One aspect where Atomic Blonde rises above analogous efforts such as the Bourne series, is that despite all the action, some of the relationships can be worked out a little, like the one with her nemesis double agent, which turns from mistrust to respect to hatred, or the lesbian relationship with a French agent who is in over her head and pays the price. Even the relationship with semi-competent Russian agent Bremovych gets its full arc in the story. There's not much time to do it in an action film like this - what time is spent doing it, is spent well here.

McAvoy's take on the double agent is great, especially once it becomes clear why he would be motivated to make the list disappear - for exactly the opposite reasons the British and Americans would want to keep it out of Russian hands.

The film captures Berlin well (I have a flat there and my parents live there), from its punk-grittiness to the fancy but somewhat clinical looking bar, to the pre-war construction that's left in many parts of the city despite the destruction of WW II.

The film does not have too many plot holes, but Theron's habit of spending 5 minutes dismembering enemy agents while getting seriously hurt herself, before just picking up their gun and shooting them (which she could have done right away) becomes a little forcé.

A fun spy flick that's a cut above similar efforts in sophistication: 7/10.

terrific stylish muddle

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 11 February 2018]

It's 1989 in the days before the fall of the Berlin wall. British agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is sent in to retrieve a list of agents. David Percival (James McAvoy) is her contact. Delphine Lasalle (Sofia Boutella) becomes her lover. After the mission, she is debriefed by CIA Emmett Kurzfeld (John Goodman) and MI6 Eric Gray (Toby Jones).

There is the music, the action, and the lesbian sex. I love the hose fight. There is such great intensity. The car chase is also right up there. This movie has great sequences. The story itself is a muddle of unknowable characters and simplistic plot devices. The biggest sin is the flashforward debriefing scene. It takes away the danger and it also grinds down the pacing. It should have been done straight up timeline. This could have been a fun spy romp but the storytelling is so jumbo that I stopped caring about the plot or the characters.

Atomic Blonde is a a great spy thriller set in the Cold War and an incredible action film

[Holt344 · 9/10 · 2 December 2021]

Atomic Blonde revolves around a spy who has to find a list of double agents that is being smuggled into the West on the eve of the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The film is directed by David Leitch and is written by Kurt Johnstad. You might recognize David Leitch from co-directing John Wick and serving as a stunt coordinator. Having him making his solo directional debut was something I looked forward to and he didn't disappoint. He brought a new story with a different protagonist and made something different but yet keeping the same quality. Charlize Theron was born to play this role, the dramatic part and the action part of the performance, she nailed it as Lorraine Broughton who are a top-level MI6 field agent. James McAvoy portrays David Percival, a maverick MI6 Berlin station chief who is assigned to assist Lorraine in her mission whilst John Goodman portrays Emmett Kurzfeld, a senior CIA agent working with MI6. The supporting cast has names like Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella, Roland Møller and Toby Jones. Charlize Theron served as a co-producer alongside starring in the lead role, a role which she trained alongside Keanu Reeves and a couple of trainers to be able to do the stunt work necessary for the role. Both Charlize Theron and James McAvoy are terrific in this film, their performances are quite mesmerizing and they totally make their spy characters believable.

Atomic Blonde is a stylistic action film with great looking sets and impressive costumes, cinematography is on point and so is the musical score and soundtrack. The editing and pacing is surprisingly excellent. They managed to edit an action sequence that was numerous of shots into a one take and that sequence was superb, truly entertaining, raw and realistic. It's the fight scenes that count - and they're astonishingly good, from a mano-a-mano beatdown involving Theron's stiletto heel and a thug's jugular vein to a climactic free-for-all in a swanky hotel suite where 99 Luftballons scores every gunshot and gut-punch. There's lots of sequences that you will love and Charlize Theron does a terrific job with it. Atomic Blonde is a spy thriller as much as it's an action film, overall a great film. I recommend it.

A definitely over-rated film in my opinion

[kinsmanivan · 6/10 · 23 August 2017]

I think many reviewers, including the mainstream media, have been far too generous to this film.

Basically, the plot line is rather thin so there is a lot of emphasis on style. Charlize Theron ponces around in a lot of different designer outfits - she seems to be wearing a different one for each scene - and, despite knocking back bottles of Stolichnaya vodka and chain smoking, she still seems to be able to beat the crap out of every man who tries to kill her.

Percival, the British agent heading up Berlin, is another hard boozing, hard smoking spy who likes to drive at top speed around the city in his Porsche (wanting to blend into the local environment apparently, plus his short haircut).

The film does have some good fight scenes and what makes it credible is the West and East Berlin backdrop that is very authentic and captures the mood of the time, and I also enjoyed the 1980s background music. However, the whole film is a bit of a tongue-in- cheek romp that has a very thin veneer of depth to it.

Flat and lifeless, with one cool fight scene

[cricketbat · 4/10 · 28 December 2018]

Atomic Blonde is flat and lifeless, even with its bright colors and cool soundtrack. It's easy to believe that Charlize Theron is a tough super spy, but the overly complicated plot and slow, plodding pace bog down the impressive action sequences. It's as if this movie is trying to distract us with fun sights and sounds. However, it just comes off as overcompensation for a bunch of shortcomings.

Atomic Blonde: The Coldest City.

[TxMike · 9 December 2017]

My wife and I watched this at home on DVD from our public library system. It is set in November 1989, a significant year for us for a couple of reasons, in Berlin right before the fall of the Berlin Wall separating Communist East and Democratic West.

The movie is based on a very popular 2012 graphic novel "Atomic Blonde: The Coldest City" by author Anthony Johnston. The synopsis of the book is as follows:

"November 1989. Communism is collapsing, and soon the Berlin Wall will come down with it. But before that happens there is one last bit of cloak & dagger to attend to. Two weeks ago, an undercover MI6 officer was killed in Berlin. He was carrying information from a source in the East - a list that allegedly contains the name of every espionage agent working in Berlin, on all sides. No list was found on his body. Now Lorraine Broughton, an experienced spy with no pre-existing ties to Berlin, has been sent into this powderkeg of social unrest, counter- espionage, defections gone bad and secret assassinations to bring back the list and save the lives of the British agents whose identities reside on it."

And that pretty well captures what the movie contains. You never really know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. Charlize Theron is truly great in the role of Lorraine Broughton, the Atomic Blonde sent to Berlin to find the list and also to identify the double agent known only as "Satchel". At the end on the plane ride back to the States most of it becomes clear, and we find out she is actually a triple agent.

Lots of action done very convincingly, Theron does all her own fighting.

Could have been better

[elgichuhi · 7/10 · 31 October 2017]

The director who previously helmed John Wick does a good job of creating Eye popping visuals and guiding Charlize Theron (who put a lot of effort into the stunts) through her kickass character but unlike John Wick,this movie suffers from a lackluster script and halfway through I found myself not caring about the characters and the plot

Great movie. A lot of fun

[themightykazoo-30763 · 7/10 · 23 April 2017]

This is a very enjoyable movie. James and Charlize (I am on first name basis with them or too lazy to write last names) turn in very good performances and I can't say either out performs the other they both do a great job.

I will not go too in depth into the plot but as spy movies this is more Munich than James Bond. I enjoyed it quite a bit and I think most fans of this genre or either actor(actress) will as well.

Take some time and check out this movie.

Plot doesn't matter because it looks so good

[griffithxjohnson · 7/10 · 28 February 2023]

Gritty, sleek, & drenched in neon. It looks absolutely gorgeous. The plot's details are lost with its unclear narration. But the pounding action, sexy performances, & great soundtrack overcome the lackluster writing.

. .

. Gritty, sleek, & drenched in neon. It looks absolutely gorgeous. The plot's details are lost with its unclear narration. But the pounding action, sexy performances, & great soundtrack overcome the lackluster writing.

. .

. Gritty, sleek, & drenched in neon. It looks absolutely gorgeous. The plot's details are lost with its unclear narration. But the pounding action, sexy performances, & great soundtrack overcome the lackluster writing.

Amazing fighting, amazing Theron

[Morten_5 · 6/10 · 6 January 2019]

Former stunt performer and coordinator David Leitch's directorial feature film debut features an absolutely stellar and most cold-blooded performance by Theron, whose fighting scences are incredible. Nice camerawork and soundtrack choices.

IMDb Schills are at it again!

[greginess7878-1 · 8/10 · 13 October 2017]

Okay, so I just got done watching this film. I usually don't make it a habit to leave reviews on here, but what motivated me this time was the result of reading a slew of suspicious 'one star' negative reviews from people who have left extremely vague comments.

I found it very odd (to say the least) that on all of these so-called one-star negative reviews, nobody bothered to write any specific information concerning the plot of the reason for the negative reviews on these critiques, but merely just wrote generic insults such as 'this was a waste of time', or 'two hours I can't get back', etc. what's even odder, the vast majority of said reviewers have only been IMDb members for about a month. Funny, that! Now, I'm not saying that 'Atomic Blonde' is on par with Citizen Cane, but it was written well enough, had a lot of tense action-packed moments to keep one interested throughout, and in addition to this...had a lot of twists and turns to the plot to make the story very engaging! Any review on IMDb that tries to malign the film without providing specific enough examples that actually proves that the writer of said review actually saw the film should automatically raise red flags. So what was it this time? Some sort of anti-lesbian cabal who have made it a mission to lower the IMDb score as much as they can in order to preserve the traditional family ideals? Seriously, this is getting to be a joke! So for those out there who want a genuine review from someone who actually saw this... I think that this film is a breath of fresh air. This is one of those rare films that had truly mastered the art of suspense. Not only that, but it was so well written, that the end reveal of the true antagonist packed that final unexpected blow that I very rarely get from the plethora of predicable plots that are floating around out there.

So to all of you mysterious 'anti-Atomic Blonde' crusaders/Facebook group/posse out there: chill out! Just have faith in the fact that there are intelligent people out here in the world that can make up their own mind when it comes to film critique, and that don't need to be influenced by some bizarre propaganda from people who have never even watched this movie. Life is to short to waste it in trying to pursue some bizarre hatred crusade.

A worthy companion to John Wick universe...

[briancseel · 7/10 · 17 October 2023]

For context, I have just watched this film after being utterly disappointed in the Peacock attempt "The Continental". What I found in Atomic Blonde was a much more like John Wick effort even if it wasn't really a John Wick effort at all (or at least not literally).

While keeping us on all-too familiar turf, the Cold War era spy genre revolving around a threat to expose agents, Atomic Blonde turns almost everything else on it's ear.

Charlize Theron isn't playing a comic book character, she is playing a real woman, with real skills, but who is still navigating a physical disadvantage in a male dominated world. The fight scenes are fantastic, realistic and not cartoonish to the point of distraction. This is not a Wonder Woman story.

It is the story of a woman, like John Wick, descending into an absolute Viper Pit, almost from the word go, and told to trust no one (the viewer can't trust much of what they see either). She is sent to get the list (Cold War spy genre) a mission that merges with a seemingly Wick outcome of "kill them all".

James McAvoy is again (as he was in Wanted) the perfect side kick for the alpha female action genre. He's not overpowering - either physically or as an actor - but brings skill and credibility to his craft.

John Goodman gets a fun turn as a crusty CIA spy but this movie is all about the cloak and dagger between Theron and McAvoy. It is fast paced, entertaining and will keep you guessing until the end.

If there is one complaint it would be that the writer didn't "play fair" with the audience. I am not sure there were enough clues along the way to guess the ultimate outcome.

The best I can do is when Theron seems to deliver a line in an American accent (or without her character's British accent) in the middle of a fight scene. But I wasn't sure I heard it right or if it was intentional versus just sneaking out during a long, grueling take.

Either way, it's still a very enjoyable film, for me personally, particularly in light of the massive failure of The Continental series to capture the magic of John Wick.

Unrealistic gibberish

[strodehk · 2/10 · 19 January 2019]

Good action, but about as realistic as a blue whale walking upright on land. Made for a nice fantasy thriller twist from 2017 perspective, but the character was oversold and given too much credit for her ability. Taking out all those big guys with guns blazing and all you have is a tiny woman and a stick. Seriously! Maybe her next movie should be to send her to N. Korea to take on the ruthless dictator, usher in world peace and be home in time for tea with the Queen. I didn't care at all for all the homosexual sex. Unnecessary and distracting, but fits well with this train wreck.

Not so cold war

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 12 September 2017]

When Charlize Theron is taking a bath (that is literally the first thing that happens in the movie), you see signs of things to come. And it again shows that she does not care too much about being portrayed as flawless as possible on screen. That also true of the fight scenes, which feel as real as possible while still stylized (it's one of the John Wick guys at the helm, it should be expected).

So acting is on a high level as expected, stunts are really exceptional. It does quite a bit and shows quite a bit so it really deserves and acknowledges the R-rating it got. The story may be predictable and overall simple, even the time structure does not change that a lot. But this does exactly what it set out to do: Entertain on high level

Something's missing

[baumhenrik · 6/10 · 10 June 2019]

I don't know what it actually is but this movie is lacking of something. Maybe it would've needed a little bit more substance for the characters to evolve in but I'm really not sure if that is the missing part I'm unsuccessfully looking for. I liked the setting and the overall atmosphere a lot. Especially the combination of neon lights and the typical 80s music fitted quite well in my opinion. I also liked Theron and McAvoy and think they did a good job portraying their roles. The action sequences are nice to watch and for the most part very well done but still something holds me back to give this movie a higher rating. I found it a little hard to bond with the characters. Maybe that's why I couldn't enjoy the movie as much as I wanted to but that's not the fault of the actors more so of the script I think. So I would say it's a movie you can watch if your looking for a easy-to-watch-nice-to-look-at movie with some good action and a badass female main character.

empty movie

[albertusjohannesmaria · 4/10 · 20 November 2017]

Atomic Blonde is Charlize's fantasy how she wants to be noticed by the public. I cannot say she fails, but neither can I say she succeeds. She is a great actress with stunning looks and brains. Her images for Dior perfume are classic and pure class. Charlize is Atomic Blonde, but the movie itself, well, the script is just plain stupid and silly. Basically, each spy is a double agent, there are lots of fight scenes and the movie skips from one encounter to another, and that's it. In other words, this movie is very empty.

A bit confusing

[gwzpratdc · 6/10 · 29 January 2021]

It's a bit hard to understand who is on which side. The acting is good and the overall look is great.