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RED SPARROW (2018)

Red Sparrow poster

CAST
JENNIFER LAWRENCE
BILL CAMP
JOEL EDGERTON
CIARIN HINDS
DOUGLAS HODGE
JEREMY IRONS
MARY-LOUISE PARKER
CHARLOTTE RAMPLING
THEKLA REUTEN
JOOELY RICHARDSON
MATTHIAS SCHONENAERTS

BASED ON THE BOOK BY
JASON MATTHEWS

SCREENPLAY BY
JUSTIN HAYTHE

PRODUCED BY
PETER CHERNIN
DAVID READY
JENNO TOPPING
STEVEN ZAILLIAN

DIRECTED BY
FRANCES LAWRENCE

GENRE
DRAMA
MYSTERY
THRILLER

RATED
AUS:MA
UK:15
USA:R

RUNNING TIME
140 MIN

 

Red Sparrow image

A nasty exploitation feature with a polished veneer, Red Sparrow fails to elicit any ounce of intrigue or passion in a cold fish of an espionage film that fails to deliver on both.

Let’s make this clear: the biggest draw of Red Sparrow is its promise of titillating access to Jennifer Lawrence sans-clothes. Yet just like that seedy bloke who hands out pamphlets to the strip show behind him with the promise of a “good time”, Red Sparrow forgets the fact that it’s a nasty piece of work that will inspire the need for a shower after the credits role. Directed by Frances Lawrence (I Am Legend), this Justin Haythe (The Lone Ranger) adaptation of Jason Matthews’ best selling novel proves to be nothing more than an ultra-violent, ultra-sexual, yet ultimately impotent film that it is, once the curiosity of Lawrence’s nakedness is past.

Lawrence stars as Dominika Egorova, a Russian prima-ballerina who suffers a gruesome, career ending injury. Without a job to support her physically handicapped mother (Joely Richardson), Dominika is coerced by her secret-intelligence operative uncle Vanya (Matthias Schoenaerts) to attend “Sparrow School”, in which young, beautiful recruits are trained to seduce and manipulate enemies of the state. Dominika’s first target is CIA operative Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton), who she views as an opportunity to get out of her dire situation.

What would have been the key to success for Red Sparrow is the chemistry between Lawrence and Egerton. Problem is it’s non-existent, a disinterested romance subplot that fails to raise any iota of stakes at play. So it goes with the rest of the movie, as director Frances Lawrence presents a film of fine technical craft yet little in the way of depth and emotion. To provoke and captivate is the films aim, yet rather it repulses and, quite frankly, can get rather ho-hum.

Take for instance the scenes within Sparrow School, aptly described as “whore school” by Lawrence’s protagonist. One after another are scenes of physical and psychological sexual “instruction” that register the same amount of provocation and danger as a softcore porn thriller. Then there are the scenes of violence, with a torture scene in particular taken straight from the torture-porn playbook and reminds why that style of filmmaking quickly lost flavour.

What can be said is Jennifer Lawrence does give her all in a role that asks a lot from its lead actor. Yet under the direction of Frances Lawrence, it’s all for nought. Once upon a time David Fincher was attached to direct Red Sparrow, and if so maybe this espionage tale of sordid sex and brutal violence could have had some heft, ala Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Alas, this feels more like Fifty Shades of Red.

**

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