Hollywood’s lead female, Jennifer Lawrence, presented herself once again to audiences worldwide with the release of her newest movie, “Red Sparrow.” In this movie, Lawrence plays a Russian ballerina turned sexy spy.
“Red Sparrow” is a present-day Cold War-like American spy thriller directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Justin Haythe. The movie is an adaptation of Jason Matthews’ 2013 novel, “Red Sparrow.”
Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is a successful Russian ballerina. She helps support her ill mother while staying clear of her Uncle Ivan (Matthias Schoenaerts), a suspicious man who works for the Russian Intelligence Unit.
One day while performing, she is injured by her partner which puts an end to her career as a ballerina. Dominika then seeks help from her uncle to get through hard times. A simple seduction leads to a murder, and Dominika suddenly finds herself living a life of lies thanks to her Uncle Ivan.
The Red Sparrow program teaches Dominika how to properly use her body and mind to get anything and everything out of her targets.
By the middle of the movie, Dominika meets Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton). Nash is an American CIA operative who got kicked out of Russia on the night of Dominika’s accident. The Russians want the name of a “mole” from Nash and go all the way to Budapest to find him. Dominika goes in with the purpose of extracting a name from Nash, but things get a little complicated.
A string of double-agents at the end of the film threaten to lose viewers. Just when viewers begin to understand the plot, it changes once more. By the end of the film, one feels like they are owed more movie time or at least a proper ending, but there’s none of that.
This film is not full of action. Intricate or elaborate action sequences would take away from the plot. This isn’t a “James Bond” or “Kingsman” type of spy movie. Fancy suits and gadgets are put to the side. Torture scenes and murders are aplenty. There’s no glory in death. It happens, it’s gruesome, the characters clean up and move on to the next objective.
This movie is gritty and hard to watch. It’s definitely meant for mature audiences. Rape and the subjection of women by men in power are greatly showcased throughout the 140-minute film.
The ending is difficult to understand. A quick Google search for clarity after watching the movie is understandable. Going in with high expectations for this film is bad. It’s not horrible but it’s intended for a select few that will truly appreciate the story portrayed in the movie.