Date night. Hideous phrase, great thing.
I like an action movie and James McAvoy. The husband likes things that are visually interesting and explosions. Atomic Blonde was an easy choice.
It’s a spy movie set at the fall of the Berlin wall. It’s highly stylised, the entire plot is a McGuffin and it is a big dumb popcorn movie. But I like big dumb popcorn movies. Especially big dumb popcorn movies with a rock hard, super smart women taking the lead. This is Charlize Theron’s film and there is nothing apologetic about that. James McAvoy does he best morally ambiguous, twisted, arrogant, dude bit. Toby Jones adds a bit of gravitas and John Goodman provides the classic pissed off CIA boss. All the standard spy thriller fare is in place and then it’s just violence and mayhem.
Full disclosure – I found the first half a bit cold. I wasn’t engaged but it was alright. Then the set action pieces arrive. The film makers have spoken about making sure it was realistic. Women are not as physically strong as men so in the fight scenes a woman will need to put more work in to knock out a man. Challenge accepted. I have not held my breathe like this since The Raid. It is excruciating but you are on the edge of your seat willing her up and on. She is battered and bruised and you are with her every step on the way.
Go. Enjoy the 80’s soundtrack, Charlize’s fabulous wardrobe and the McAvoy cockiness. Just make sure you’ve got a nap booked afterwards as all that scrapping will tire you out.