Geek Review: Red Sparrow

Forget the allusion to Marvel’s Black Widow – this spy thriller will forever be known as the movie that got Jennifer Lawrence to finally be naked onscreen.

While some may argue that she had already shed her clothes to play Mystique in the X-Men franchise, let’s just say it is a little strange to keep staring at her toned body draped in blue paint. (Not that it was what I did.)

So yes, this movie, directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Justin Haythe, will be (fondly?) remembered by fans as the project that “empowered” the Oscar winner, after her nude photographs were leaked on the web back in 2014.

Now that we have gotten your attention, let’s talk about the film. Lawrence plays Dominika, a Russian ballerina who loves her sick mother dearly. An unfortunate accident happens, resulting in a serious injury that causes her to not be able to dance anymore. Enter a creepy uncle who is involved in shady dealings, a brutal murder, and a centre for ‘Sparrows’ that teaches young men and women to use their sexual attraction for espionage purposes.

Based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Jason Matthews, you can expect scenes of brutal violence, gruesome torture, and of course, uninhibited sex. The story is tense, and you feel that no one can be trusted. There are spies everywhere, and you never know who is backstabbing who. Lawrence does a brilliant job portraying a protagonist who has to live up to her new identity as a temptress. Needless to say, her character gets in touch with her feelings and falls in love with someone she isn’t supposed to (cue: trouble ahead!)

The ensemble cast does an equally fine job as well. Joel Edgarton (Bright) sheds his orc outfit to play a suave American CIA official working in Moscow, while Matthias Schoenaerts (The Danish Girl) is perfect as the suspicious uncle with an ulterior motive, while Charlotte Rampling (Assassin’s Creed) will send chills down your spine with her unsettling portrayal of a ‘Sparrow’ trainer.

And we always welcome Jeremy Irons (Justice League) to play any supervillain – just hearing his sonorous voice is worth your ticket price.

Sadly, this is very much a cheerless movie. The long running time of 140 minutes may take a strain on the impatient and fatigued viewer, and the restrained music score by James Newton Howard (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) doesn’t help to perk things up either. As a result, you pay more attention to the ‘sexploitative’ and violent moments in the movie. Every time there is a sensual or bloody scene, you sit up and watch. You also wish you can visit the gorgeous locations in Budapest, Hungary and Austria for a winter holiday.

It is inevitable to make comparisons, but there are links to Lawrence, like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon style. The ballet scene will remind you of Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (2011), and what do you know? The critically-acclaimed filmmaker recently directed Lawrence in the divisive Mother! (2017).

You also draw similarities between Lawrence’s Dominika and Scarlett Johansson’s well-endowed Black Widow from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, of which the X-Men are soon to be a part of. In addition, Dominika’s strong-minded personality echoes Katniss Everdeen’s in the Hunger Games film series.

Incidentally, director Lawrence worked with actress Lawrence on three of the four films in the popular young adult dystopian franchise.

This spy saga, although overly long, is watchable largely because of the high production values and the cast’s committed performances.