Review – Red Sparrow

Red Sparrow is a classic spy movie.  It is a slow burning, twisty movie about government secrets, secret agents, and double crossing.  This isn’t your Jason Bourne or your Ethan Hunt movies, this is a dirty, gritty movie that requires your to pay attention because you never know who is playing who.

After a career-ending injury, a ballerina Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is recruited to ‘Sparrow School,’ a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. Her first mission, targeting a C.I.A. agent (Joel Edgerton), threatens to unravel the security of both nations.

Jennifer Lawrence is arguably one of the best actresses in Hollywood today.  The Oscar continues to grow as an actress, challenging herself with every role, like last year in Darren Aronofsky’s polarizing mother! and she pushes herself once again here.  Lawrence is sensational here in a daring, captivating, entrancing role.  We think we know what Dominika is going to do, but Lawrence is always a step ahead of us, portraying a character who never shows us her hand, even when everyone else shows theirs.  It’s a performance that a lesser actress could fail at, but Lawrence rises to the challenge and gives one of the best performances of her career.

The supporting cast is great as well.  Joel Edgerton is an actor we don’t appreciate.  He’s great in every movie, yet he just flies under the radar.  He’s excellent here as the C.I.A agent who is in contact with a Russian mole.  Edgerton has great chemistry with Lawrence and the two match wits when they’re playing each other, in a spy vs spy kind of way.  Just another year with another great Edgerton performance.  Jeremy Irons rocks it as the Russian General, and Charlotte Rampling is chilling as the head of the ‘Sparrow School’ who simply goes by Matron.

Red Sparrow challenges you to pay attention.  Director Francis Lawrence paces the movie deliberately, which is both a good thing and a slight flaw in the film.  With a nearly two and a half hour run time, there are times where the movie feels like it drags a little bit, especially in the middle, where the plot gets a muddled and redundant.  However, it is incredibly compelling to watch Dominika play both the U.S. and Russian government, as we never really know what side she is on, if she is actually on one.  What raises the tension is that Lawrence establishes the stakes of the movie quickly so we know what Dominika can lose and what she has to gain from both sides.  It adds layers to her motivations.

Worried this movie is only about deception and watching Dominika play super spy?  Don’t worry, there are scenes of shocking violence that will have you shook for long after the scene is done.  Lawrence does not pull a punch during these sequences, giving us bloody, realistic scenes of violence and torture that will make you turn away.  It’s tough to watch, but adds another emotional level to the movie.

Led by Jennifer Lawrence’s powerhouse performance and Francis Lawrence’s deliberate, tense direction, Red Sparrow is a throwback to old school spy movies, but made for modern times.  It is a movie that will shock you and have you captivated, always guessing what will happen next.

Did you see Red Sparrow?  What did you think?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.