Spy tale ‘Red Sparrow’ mostly succeeds at holding interest
(“Race”).
Mary Louise Parker (“Weeds”) also makes an appearance, of over-the-top variety, as the boozing chief of staff for a U.S. politician willing to sell highly sensitive information to the Russians.
And, while nicely paced, “Red Sparrow” itself is just a bit too over-the-top as directed by Lawrence. The tone he establishes is probably just a bit too serious considering some of the goings-on in the story.
Having directed Jennifer Lawrence in the final three “Hunger Games” films, the male Lawrence clearly has the endorsement of the star, who gives him a mostly successful performance. Even as “Red Sparrow” shows increasing signs it will fall out of the air, the lady Lawrence is not the problem.
Meanwhile, Edgerton — who, covered in makeup to portray an orc, gave the standout performance in Netflix’s recent bizarre Will Smith-starring cop-fantasy mashup “Bright” — offers a merely garden-variety effort here.
More memorable is Schoenaerts (“The Danish Girl”), who makes it very difficult to truly decipher Ivan’s intentions when it comes to his niece.
With its relatively heavy dose of edge-pushing sexual content, “Red Sparrow” seems a little too interested in titillating than telling a great story. However, it will keep you guessing, at least to a degree, until the final credits, which a movie like this must do to be successful.