Red Sparrow - Movie Review

I have to admit, Red Sparrow looked appealing to me from the first trailer I saw. I was disappointed to see the film sitting below 7/10 on IMDb. I generally don't allow ratings to deter me from seeing a film that looks appealing unless the ratings are extremely low (as in Wrinkle in Time). I used my Moviepass to see Red Sparrow today at the matinee. I was left with mixed feelings about this film.

Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is an aspiring ballerina. Her uncle, Vanya (Matthias Schoenaerts) is a high ranking official with Russian intelligence. When Dominka's ballet career is cut short by injury, her uncle recruits her for a dangerous mission. When she witnesses a murder, she is marked for death. Her uncle intervenes, enrolling her in the elite Sparrow program that trains attractive young agents to use their allure to compromise officials and agents from other nations. It is a high stakes program that demands success. The alternative is death.

Dominika has a grudge, but she is also calculating. When she is assigned to extract the identity of a Russian mole from his CIA handler, Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton), Dominika hatches a plan of her own. She carefully orchestrates a series of sleight of hand to keep everyone guessing regarding her loyalties. Her mission appears compromised, but she manages to salvage the mission as part of her own broader plot. She plays her opponents with precision, executing a flawless strategy that protects the good guys while extracting revenge on a couple of bad ones.

Attempting to reduce a novel into a movie-length feature requires precision cutting. Justin Haythe created this screenplay from the Jason Matthews novel of the same name. I have not read the novel. But it is apparent that reducing this convoluted plot required some sacrifices. Even so, the film managed to run long at two hours and twenty minutes. A bit of extra cutting might have kept the pacing a bit more steady while reducing the marathon length a bit. The film suffered from having to create the back story before moving into a somewhat complicated series of events that really all needed to be included for the story to make sense. A sequel was commissioned, which should benefit from not having to provide the extensive foundation this one required. The plot was good, although a bit contrived. It had a nice plot twist that made the film worthwhile, but the ending dragged out a bit too long as well.

I like Jennifer Lawrence. She has been in some of my favorite films dating all the way back to Winter's Bone. She was excellent, providing the perfect complement of sexual intensity, intellect and confidence to infuse her character with credibility. Her accent seemed a bit off at times, but other than that, she was perfect for this role. Edgerton had good chemistry with Lawrence, but then, who wouldn't? But like Edgerton, he was solid. Cirian Hinds had a bit role. I didn't care for him in the role, as a high ranking Russian spy. Luckily it was a bit role. Schoenaerts was excellent as well. Just mildly creepy, but credible. Overall, the casting was decent, but could have been better. The accents were distracting at times.

As mentioned, Red Sparrow runs long at two hours, twenty minutes. It felt long, as well. The film received an R rating from the MPAA. It is well deserved. There is a rape scene early in the film that doesn't have much nudity. It is part of the overall story and did not feel gratuitous. But other nudity in the film did. And there was a decent amount. But worse than the nudity was some of the graphic violence that was brutal. There were some cringe-worthy moments that reached Saw violence levels. Torture, alcohol consumption, rape, language, graphic nudity, gore...I think they pretty much checked all the boxes with this one. It felt like it was sometimes meant for shock effect. It felt a bit overdone.

Red Sparrow is a decent film. It was long, with sluggish pacing, which I hope will be fixed in the sequel. I will probably see the sequel at the theater, in hopes that it will be leaner. This one ran a bit long, could have been cast a bit better and was gratuitous at times. But the plot was excellent with a nice twist at the end. The primary actors were excellent. Overall, this film didn't deliver what I expected, but was also not a disappointment. I found myself leaving the theater with mixed feeling and a bladder that was about to burst. This past year seems to have been the year of epic length films. I hope this is a trend that Hollywood soon abandons. 7/10.