Atomic Blonde

Cantona's Collars

New Charlize Theron action flick.Unrated trailer drops today. Apart from that,I hadn't heard of the movie until now.

Agent Coulson

Directed by one half of the John Wick team David Leitch so expect action lots of action.


A female John Wick.


He will also be directing Deadpool 2.

Slydice

NOT SAFE FOR WORK

but saying that..

TAKE ALL MY FREAKING MONEY, RIGHT NOW!

Agent Coulson

I think I fcuking love her.

Sad Professor

Hopefully those are unfinished sound effects in the fight scene, but otherwise this looks awesome.

DrumSteve

That looks great.

Slydice

I've watched the trailer many times.

Many many times.

Regardless of the film. Something about the trailer just feels so new or something.

Well done trailer maker.

bnt

Sofia Boutella in there too, as the "French operative". Me likey.

JP Liz V1

bnt wrote: »

Sofia Boutella in there too, as the "French operative". Me likey.

She is Robert Sheehan's real life lady

Agent Coulson

New Trailer

Slydice

Also an international one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKDNg-m56ic

pixelburp

Man, that's one slick, stylish looking thriller.

Crazy how much the action genre has morphed over the years. Spin back to the 80-90s and its stars were the musclebound meat puppets such as Arnie with zero acting ability. Now, arguably, the biggest action stars are also legitimate acting stars in their own right, such as Theron or Scarlett Johansson.

DrumSteve

pixelburp wrote: »

Man, that's one slick, stylish looking thriller.

Crazy how much the action genre has morphed over the years. Spin back to the 80-90s and its stars were the musclebound meat puppets such as Arnie with zero acting ability. Now, arguably, the biggest action stars are also legitimate acting stars in their own right, such as Theron or Scarlett Johansson.

...And Keanu Reeves.

Sad Professor

I think what distinguishes them from earlier action stars is that they aren't macho guys. Reeves was a bit of trailblazer in this regard. You wouldn't exactly call his character in The Matrix tough, would you? He has more in common with Asian action stars. Reeves is also the link between the two recent Theron and Johansson films - which are heavily influenced by John Wick and The Matrix respectively.

Agent Coulson

Those tow women still have a long way to go till they hit China O' Brien levels Cynthia Rothrock was boss.

Agent Coulson

Final Trailer

August 9th release in the UK so I'd guess same here.

Slydice

AWESOME!

.. trailer..

Like.. mustn't get too hyped until I've seen the film obvs...

Shelga

I want Charlize Theron's life.

Harry Palmr

Hmm, looks very derivative - take Jason Bourne make him a sassy girl friendly blonde, add a bit of Diva and Ronin.

Why are the cops driving about in 20 year old cars or is it set in the past?

pixelburp

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Hmm, looks very derivative - take Jason Bourne make him a sassy girl friendly blonde, add a bit of Diva and Ronin.

Why are the cops driving about in 20 year old cars or is it set in the past?

It's set in Berlin during the 1980s.

It still looks very slick & stylish, and that could yet be both its greatest strength and weakness. The film looks to be reaching for a very polished approach to a 1980s grunginess. Hopefully it doesn't get too lost in its 80s playlists, and the action & charisma is also there.

Sad Professor

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Hmm, looks very derivative - take Jason Bourne make him a sassy girl friendly blonde, add a bit of Diva and Ronin.

Why are the cops driving about in 20 year old cars or is it set in the past?

Set in the late '80s during the last Cold War.

Harry Palmr

Cheers, beyond the cars it was hard to tell anything about era (though I suppose I should have noted no one had a mobile phone or laptop) and often you see suspiciously elderly vehicles in modern films which you know are going to get written off!

bnt

Fights Featurette:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdB1XP8rpx8

Harry Palmr

Anyone else struck that it's "hot" to have a film based around a heroine who is hot for the girls, if Bourne were bi curious or just proper gay the films would never have been made. Maybe it's time for Hollywood to grow up a bit.

Sad Professor

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Anyone else struck that it's "hot" to have a film based around a heroine who is hot for the girls, if Bourne were bi curious or just proper gay the films would never have been made. Maybe it's time for Hollywood to grow up a bit.

What strikes me more about Theron's character in this is that she's interested in sex at all. With the exception of Bond, most male action heroes these days are practically asexual. And even Bond seems to have to remind himself.

Slydice

Grace got to see it already! Says it's really good!

First reaction:
https://twitter.com/GraceRandolph/status/889643087160594432

Full review (she avoids spoilers)

Arrggh!! The film isn't out here for ages!!!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2406566/releaseinfo
Like, It's out loads of places weeks and/or days ahead of us (we're 11 August)

Slydice

Bob is in (though says it's a lot more Spy film that advertised):

Stuckman says it lags where there isn't violence:

The overwhelming message I'm getting is that there is a whopper of a fight at the end and the elevator trailer is a part of it.

Agent Coulson

Theron was on The Daily Show last night in the States she as been trying to get this to screen for 5 years and they finished filming it 2 years ago.

She told about breaking two of her back teeth from clamping down her jaw to much during a fight scene.



It's set 6 days before the fall of the wall.

silverharp

it seems to tick off all the progressive cliches while pretending to be innovative and fresh.

TheDoc

Saw the Trailer this week and it looked like a mix between Taken,John Wick with some James Bond feelings to it also. I was enjoying the trailer, then it got to a point where I had to cross my legs, and my misses let out an audible "oh for **** sake".

Slydice

Seen it. The big fight and other action scenes are its strengths. The 80s were well referenced *scratches head* ... as best I can remember .

The story was like.. you know .. a spy story. It seemed to be missing something. Something to really bring the audience in. It was solid enough... like.. it dotted the i's and cross the t's.

Really though

it was centered on the stairwell fight and everything led to it. The trailers advertised it, they set the scene, tensed things up, cut the music and just plain let rip.

That sold me

eviltimeban

Seeing this tonight, expecting nothing other than good fight scenes and 80s music, so I'll probably not be disappointed!

dunworth1

went last night enjoyed it especially some scenes

Charlize Theron is an absolute bombshell who can kick ass

but I felt it might have been better at 15 or 20 minutes shorter

Mr E

Wanted to love it, but it was style over substance.

eviltimeban

Saw it last night, and it wasn't good. I think the main issue was the pacing. There were an AWFUL lot of shots of Theron lighting a cigarette, posing, looking cool with a neon background etc, and while she did look stunning, I was rolling my eyes by the end.

The fight scene was good, but it's a pity they

didn't actually shoot it in one take. That would've been more impressive.

Sure, she kicked ass and in fairness, unlike John Wick she

got the sh*t kicked out of her and just about survived.

James McEvoy annoyed me, playing another "James McAvoy slightly deranged" kind of role. I was confused as to various motives throughout, and

even the big twist at the end

didn't really resolve any questions I had about his motives.

It was also a bit of a rip off of Spy Game, telling the story from a room via flashbacks.

The music was the predictable end of the 80s, London Calling, Under Pressure, nothing we haven't heard a million times. And using the same David Bowie track that was in Inglorious Basterds wasn't a good move.

In all 4/10, good effort from Theron but the pace needed improving, and we could have had a lot less of the "look how cool we look" parts. Those worked in John Wick as there was action all the way. There was only action in about 50% of Atomic Blonde.

silverharp

I heard that too much smoking and she changed her clothes too often and couldn't have carried it all in her one bag :pac:

TerrorFirmer

I thought it was pretty good but very different than I was expecting, a hell of a lot more complicated than the likes of 'John Wick' which I'd heard this compared to and nowhere near as fast paced as trailers might have you believe.

Design and soundtrack were good though a little overdone at times, and the tone of the film was a bit all over the place - one minute slapstick style combat, the next, uncomfortably brutally violent.

I'd say it's a 3/5 from me, very watchable though comes on too strong too often and the run time could probably be trimmed to the benefit of the film.

sonic85

Didn't think this was great to be honest. Seemed to me to be basically a Charlize Theron vehicle - style over substance for the most part. Oooh look there's Charlize in another beautiful outfit, there she is standing around in her bra, taking an ice bath, indulging in a bit of lesbianism etc. Now don't get me wrong Charlize is beautiful and I'd never get tired of looking at her but when I watch a movie I want a bit more than a lovely leading lady.

The action was grand. One or two good fight scenes but there wasn't an over abundance of it. I thought the soundtrack was great - found myself nearly constantly nodding my head or toe tapping along to the music.

McAvoy was grand, Boutella was grand but didn't really have much to do. The whole thing was just grand - neither good nor bad. It passed a couple of hours but I'd have no desire to ever seek it out to watch it again. A bit disappointing really - I thought it was going to be much better.

mikhail

I haven't really thought this through, but it occurred to me reading a bunch of reviews (mostly not here) that a lot of people are looking at it as an action film and complaining about things that are pretty normal in a Cold War spy thriller, which it is at least as much as it is an action movie. Criticisms of underdeveloped characters and a sometimes meandering plot seem like they are born of having gone into it with an expectation of seeing Joan Wick.

Slydice

Arg! My brain! The story was a fair bit more complicated than I thought,

Victor

Note that Theron was one of the producers.

silverharp wrote: »

she changed her clothes too often and couldn't have carried it all in her one bag :pac:

There's a line at the airport about having checked baggage. But wheely suitcase in 1989?

Music is mostly awesome. Am I right that 99 Luftballons is in it twice? Would have been nice to use the English version first, then the German.

Theron seems to channel her Harriet Makepeace in the fashion stakes.

'Refreshing' to see someone properly bloodied after a fight.

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Anyone else struck that it's "hot" to have a film based around a heroine who is hot for the girls, if Bourne were bi curious or just proper gay the films would never have been made. Maybe it's time for Hollywood to grow up a bit.

Is she? Maybe it's the sidekick who is hot for the girls?

I was surprised when the blond Russian guy goes down when hit with the stereo, then I realised it was a much heavier hot plate.

Blooper 1 - when the guy smashes the tape recorder in the rave warehouse, it is already turned off, but the music is still playing.

Blooper 2 - in some of the trailers, John Goodman is giving the voice-over of the briefing, but he wasn't at the briefing.

When McEvoy gets shot, I think the audio / speech isn't very clear and it's difficult to understand the outcome.

Slydice wrote: »

Arg! My brain! The story was a fair bit more complicated than I thought,

Might the creator of the video be portraying the UK as not being against the USSR?

Slydice

Victor wrote: »

Note that Theron was one of the producers.

There's a line at the airport about having checked baggage. But wheely suitcase in 1989?

Now I'm wondering if that was another hint about

her being an american agent!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/business/05road.html

The Rollaboard was invented in 1987 by Robert Plath, a Northwest Airlines 747

Someone passing through the US might have had one but probably not an english agent

Slydice

I might rewatch the whole film at some point.

This other breakdown discussion has me thinking I'll see more in a rewatch:

like watching out for the triple agent aspects.. also the whole thing revolving around the CIA mission being the fall of the berlin wall.

First time round that just seemed to be in the background.

Slydice

This scene like! (released by Universal before the film but is kinda spoilery):

:eek:

I mean.. it's so much more now! Those guys were expecting her because they thought she was working with them. They even help her out with a card for the cafe. They're sorting out their own agent.

Then she sees they've been made by Percival and goes... well.. ATOMIC BLONDE on them. Like right towards the end yer man still doesn't understand when she's pulling the crash off. He's all like: what're ye doin??!?

Victor

http://www.atomicblonde.com/
http://www.atomicblondegame.com/
https://twitter.com/atomic_blonde

http://www.focusfeatures.com/article/craft_music-supervision_atomic-blonde_five-songs

Mr E

Slydice wrote: »

Arg! My brain! The story was a fair bit more complicated than I thought

Good video but jesus that guy has an annoying voice.

I missed a lot of that detail, but maybe with better writing it would have been a better movie. Might be worth a second look with those details in mind.

The Black Oil

Found it tricky to assess this one. I was on the fence for most of it. I was never bored or underwhelmed. Recommend? Hard to say, or put my finger on my hesitation. The third act might have saved it. There was, as eviltimeban pointed out, a bit of a Spy Game vibe going on. Evocation of the period? Compared to other recent viewings - Dunkirk, Alone in Berlin, this was a little bit of a let down.

First thing that struck me was the tone. Hey, it's going the Deutschland 83 route. The soundtrack - I found this a little bothersome starting off which was less to do with the content and how it was interlaced with the fights. Mixed feelings on that, a little too instantaneous with the tunes kicking in (imo), but they did dial it back after the early section of the film. Speaking of fights, these were enjoyable, well-executed and fairly Bourne ish...however, I didn't feel the pain of injuries as a viewer as I have done in other films. There are a good few throws downstairs, etc. That said, I do hope Charlize Theron delivers a dose of arse kicking in more films. Point awarded for the Tetris reference and down with scum who smash tape cassette players.

Looper007

Definitely going for the female version of John Wick on this, but not quite reaching those film heights (the director did co direct the first John Wick), I felt it was been a little too smart then it needed to be, could have been a lot tighter plot wise. A simple Super female spy going to get back the secret files from those evil Russians in 80's Berlin could have been enough, instead far too many twist and turns for it's own good.

Although not patch on the John Wicks and The Raid's of this world, it still had enough to entertain and probably get itself some cult status in years to come. Charlize Theron definitely is a action star born and bred, with dodgy English accent aside

Was that done purposely, seen as she's at the end an American C.I.A agent.

she definitely shows that Fury Road wasn't a one off (although this isn't a patch on her career best turn in that masterpiece). The action scenes are the films stand outs especially the one when she is fighting to save Eddie Marsan's character which is brutal and Theron really shines in this scene.

Eddie Marsan, John Goodman and Toby Jones are wasted but it's obvious it's just a paycheck for these guys. Same for Sofia Boutella did her best with what she was given which wasn't much aside from a sex scene with Theron. Good to see Bill Skarsgard in a same role before he's about to hit it big as IT the clown in IT. But the standout with Theron is James McAvoy, who I think shines when he plays shady characters and he's definitely on top form here and almost steals the movie away from Theron, shame he wasn't given more to do. Also great 80's soundtrack, some more little known 80's songs with the odd more well known classic, also another few ace cuts from Tyler Bates.

Overall a good solid action film let down by it's too smart for it's own good plot, with Theron proven a great action star.

branie2

I saw it on Friday. It was very good

opus

silverharp wrote: »

I heard that too much smoking and she changed her clothes too often and couldn't have carried it all in her one bag :pac:

That's almost word for word what a friend said after we went to see it last night! Enjoyed the film, was pleasantly surprised there was a bit of a plot as well as the promised action.

Agrian Brian

I go into the cinema with very low expectation these days and if I can take just one good point from a film then I'm satisfied. For me, the good point I took from Atomic Blonde was the soundtrack in the main. I enjoyed hearing some Falco and this track by 'Til Tuesday "Voices Carry":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uejh-bHa4To