Atomic Blonde (15)
Move over Bond and Bourne, there’s a new butt-kicking spy in town – and she’s out for blood.
Charlize Theron stars as undercover MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton, who is sent to Berlin at the height of the Cold War to recover a missing list of double agents.
Based on graphic novel series The Coldest City, the plot is more intricate than the actionheavy promos hinted at, as Kurt Johnstad’s (the 300 movies) screenplay is packed with claims and counter-claims and double crosses.
In truth there’s probably too much story as the film drags at times, particularly during the middle third, and not all of the reveals are surprising or satisfying.
Fortunately, no matter what you might think of the plot and its machinations, Atomic Blonde is blessed with a memorable leading lady.
From the moment we first see Lorraine – coming out of an ice bath battered and bruised and dropping one of the cubes into a glass of vodka – it’s clear this is no run-of-the-mill action heroine.
Whether uttering brilliant lines like “If I’d known he was going to call the police, I’d have worn a different outfit”, or using her high heels as a deadly weapon, Theron throws herself head-on into the role and clocks up more physicality and destruction than most of her male genre counterparts.
If the revenge-themed story and creative