Red Sparrow

A “sparrow” is the term for a Mata Hari style secret agent, trained to seduce men in pursuit of secrets. Ballerina Dominika Egorova (played by Jennifer Lawrence) is inducted into this life by her uncle Vanya (I know, I know; the Chekov references could be subtler), a spymaster, when her ballet career is cut short by a serious injury. Trained at spy school by the cynical Matron (Charlotte Rampling) and directed by General Korchnoi (Jeremy Irons), Dominika is soon thrust into the cut and thrust world of espionage.

Red Sparrow has a complex plot involving plenty of double (perhaps triple?) dealing as Dominika interacts with CIA agent Nate (Joel Edgerton) against the backdrop of a wintry eastern Europe.  The film does not hold back on the violence, and the numerous torture scenes are quite brutal and vivid, a long way from the glossy fantasy world of the “Hunger Games” where Francis Lawrence first directed a youthful Jennifer Lawrence. This is an altogether more adult role and she throws herself wholeheartedly into it, along with the good supporting cast. The film is more interested in exploring themes of trust and betrayal than in out-and-out spy action, and at times the pace of the film, at an overlong 139 minutes, feels drawn out. Still, the plot has some neat twists and turns, and manages to generally keep the audience guessing as it snakes from Moscow to Vienna and beyond.

Red Sparrow has a complex plot involving plenty of double (perhaps triple?) dealing as Dominika interacts with CIA agent Nate (Joel Edgerton) against the backdrop of a wintry eastern Europe.

★★★½