A lost young woman becomes an elite model by day, a KGB assassin by night. It’s Besson-by-numbers in this straightforward Europacorp espionage/action thriller, lifting bits from La Femme Nikita and in so doing aping the recent Red Sparrow. Decent setpieces, some lazy tech-related anachronisms, and reliable character actors slumming.
Tag: moscow
Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011, dir. Brad Bird)
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team hunt down an extremist with a nuclear capability. More of a series of (admittedly fun and exciting) set-pieces than a movie as such, this fourth instalment is exhilarating while its on, but doesn’t leave a lasting impression.
Want another perspective? Here’s Lemonsquirtle’s POV.
Red Sparrow (2018, dir. Francis Lawrence)
A Russian ballerina is recruited by her uncle into an elite spy training programme. Good-looking but deathly slow melodrama which pretends the Cold War is ongoing. Plenty of solid character actors with silly accents in European cities doing double-crosses.
The Death of Stalin (2017, dir. Armando Iannucci)
A power struggle ensues in the USSR when Stalin dies suddenly. Frantic black comedy which plays totalitarianism as a dark farce. Hugely impressive, with a great cast clearly having fun throughout, while making a few satirical points along the way. Recommended.
The Saint (1997, dir. Phillip Noyce)
A professional thief becomes involved in a Russian conspiracy involving cold fusion technology. Below-par star-vehicle thriller some distance from the source material. Good location work and solid support can’t prevent this being a waste of talent.
Red Heat (1988, dir. Walter Hill)
A Soviet cop comes to Chicago to extradite a prisoner. Dated but effective and brutal mismatched buddies thriller with comic touches, this doesn’t recapture the magic of Hill’s 48 Hrs, but makes great use of Arnie and of Chicago locations.
255 Review 