Red Sparrow [4K UHD]

As a preface, this is not the only JenLaw movie to get unnecessarily slammed by sham reviews. Since The Fappening, people have been on a mission to smear her image. (The personal comments about the president haven't helped.) But throw all that out, look at this film objectively, and you will be pleasantly rewarded with a spy thriller that's cunning, sexy and disturbing all at once. Lawrence plays a Soviet op who is conned into a femme fatale lifestyle of cutthroat operatives when her ballerina career is ruined from an injury. She crosses paths with Edgerton, an agent in the middle of a career SNAFU, as he attempts to redeem his status with the CIA after getting made during his cover. Romance and espionage ensues. The movie is one part Lawrence learning to survive covertly and two parts not trying to turn on her government to aid her mother, friend, and colleagues. The crux of why people are turning this down is the violence and graphic nudity. The violence is no worse than Fight Club and about as disturbing as Black Swan. Those are your benchmarks. As for the sexuality... yes you get to see a penis, some breasts and butt, but at this point you should know Jen is human. Body parts do not make the actor. The acting makes the actor. Lawrence does a pretty convincing job pulling off a Russian dialect, but it's being sociopathic while undercover where she shines. It's a tale of espionage. She starts off scared and green, but over the course of 2 hours she is brutally beautiful in her façade. Edgerton is handsome and sweet. He is excellent as a supporting actor and he only makes Jennifer that much more focal in the story. One of the other standouts here is Rampling, the stoic mission driven school commandant who effortlessly instills guile in her students through psychosexual manipulation. She is equal parts mechanical and overtly invasive in finding sexual quirks. There's another standout performance in Red Sparrow, but I promised I wouldn't spoil the movie in my review. I'm sorry I'm late with this review, but if you plan on Redboxing the movie or catching it before the theatrical run ends, do so! It is not a first date movie, but is definitely sensual, very engrossing and yet another star for both Lawrences' track records. I hope these two continue to work together for years to come.

This is actually a really well written movie. From the very beginning, you have great difficulty trying to figure out what the characters are truly after. You should understand that this is not an action film. It's a psychological thriller. When you believe that you have everything figured out, you get to the movies third act and realize you misjudged. Jennifer Lawrence is a very talented actress. To say anything else is to do her a disservice. Every scene in this movie is well acted. Neither she nor any of her cast mates will let you down in this department. I've seen some people mention a certain sex scene she has in the movie casting it in a negative light. Yes, there is a rather clunky sex scene in the movie. But, this was absolutely done on purpose. The character that she is hooking up with does not want to have sex with her at this point. He's trying not to compromise his judgment. This movie involves a romance between two spies. In other words, these are two terribly guarded people. Both characters have a great deal of difficulty trusting the other. This was most true in their first sex scene. Notice how passionate the next time they get it on is. This was the one time in the movie where they really felt like they could trust each other. In that moment their trust was at it's highest. The only thing that I can see any reasonable person having a problem with in this movie is the violence. When the movie turns violent it is very graphic. That said, this too was done on purpose. There are many scenes in the movie that are supposed to make you feel uneasy. The director is making a statement about the nature of spy work. It's a dirty job and sometimes it gets messy... extremely messy. Lies, manipulation, amorality, torture, and sleeping with someone just to get close to them all show up in this movie. For a puritan, ( a lot of the people reviewing this movie seem to be) this may be too much. But, for any realist about what spy work is probably like, it seems these things would constitute just another day at the office. If you like spy movies and don't mind graphic violence, you'll really enjoy this movie. Honestly, I think that it's a great movie that really got overshadowed by the release of Black Panther. Had it not released when it did I think that it would have done much better at the box office.

“Red Sparrow”, directed by Francis Lawrence, is a spy-craft thriller that pays homage to Cold War-era films like "La Feme Nikita". Set against the backdrop of lingering geopolitical rivalry, the film explores the moral ambiguities faced by its protagonist, Dominika Egorova, as she navigates the dangerous and violent terrain of espionage. The story of Dominika Egorova, a once-promising ballerina forced into espionage by circumstance and the machinations of her uncle, sets the stage for a gripping exploration of loyalty, sacrifice, and the moral compromises demanded by those who serve the state. The individual caught between personal aspirations and the cold realities of power politics. I offer a Jungian lens to view Dominika Egorova's journey in “Red Sparrow” hopefully, it sheds additional light. ===== Psychology & Archetypes ===== At its core, “Red Sparrow” struggles with an innocent yearning to be set free from an oppressive system. From a Jungian standpoint, the archetypes seem to emerge with striking clarity. First, we have the archetype of the Innocent: embodied by Dominika as ballerina. Essentially, she is kept away from other sections within her society: she’s protected inside the artistic circle. She also serves as a dutiful daughter. Her injury and subsequent recruitment place her in a much more cynical and violent world: she is sheltered no more. The protagonist's journey: in many ways, Dominika's arc could be seen as a ‘dark night of the soul’, a crucible through which she must pass to achieve a new level of self-awareness and liberty. ===== Major Themes ===== Ever since humans have created stories: there have been heroes. And the archetypal story of a hero who has fallen from grace, driven to atone for past transgressions and find a nobler calling, is a compelling story-pattern that runs through numerous tales across time. We notice the pattern in Greek mythology. And likewise in contemporary Cinema! Thus, we can conclude that throughout the great span of time there is something timeless about this redemptive journey: it resonates within our psyche. As she moves forward enduring harrowing ordeals and the unspeakable abuses: our hero embodies the archetype of the Scapegoat: carrying the sins and crude violence of a morally decaying society. Insight is an undercurrent within the Redemption arc of the hero. The very core of human experience leads us to profound truths as we learn and incorporate these truths into our authentic self we enter the realm of the ‘Wounded Healer’ archetype. A key concept, we have transformation, evolution toward redemption. But understand, along this path there is a cost: a ‘Wilderness’ period wherein the hero struggles to overcome, (internal and external obstacles), leading to personal growth. Furthermore, I’d like to wrap up with an observation; the protagonist's journey in “Red Sparrow” appears as a microcosm of the larger societal scrambling: this world growing increasingly unsympathetic and indifferent to the loss of innocence. And also, we must consider the psychological toll of working as clandestine operatives: the field operatives are placed within a world of moral ambiguity, sooner rather than later this will weigh on the shoulders of the Agents. An example would be the loss of innocent life when carrying out a mission? Or alternatively, what if vital intelligence information turns out to be faulty: consider the ramifications. In point of fact: the second war in Iraq was partly based on faulty intelligence data. In brief terms, spycraft is compelling; but in real life; it disintegrates the soul.

Spy thrillers have run the gamut from the ridiculous (the Austin Powers films) to the gritty ("The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.") Some have been blatant propaganda, others were serious attempts to portray what it's really like to live and work undercover. "Red Sparrow" doesn't fit easily into those categories. It's sometimes gritty, sometimes serious; it's raw in some scenes and tender in others. At its heart, however, I don't think of it as "just" a spy thriller. Instead, in my opinion, it's the very well told story of a young woman who - when confronted with impossible choices - opts to follow her own path rather than the ones that have been dictated to her. Jennifer Lawrence proves yet again why she is one of the premier actors of her generation in her portrayal of a ballerina whose career is ruined when an onstage "accident" leaves her unable to dance at a high level again. There are other ramifications that follow the loss of her career in modern-day Russia. Her mother's medical care, the apartment she and Lawrence share, the daily visits of a home healthcare worker; all of these are about to be taken away from her unless she agrees to become a "sparrow." Seemingly left with no choice in the matter, she agrees to be trained as a sparrow - a spy who is adept at using her body to compromise foreign diplomats and gather intelligence. I won't go deeper into the plot because that would spoil the narrative for those that have not yet seen this film. I will say that it has some very interesting twists and turns and a couple of red herrings that might catch you by surprise. Lawrence is outstanding in the role of the former ballerina turned spy but I would be remiss if I did not also single out Matthias Schoenaerts for his portrayal as her less-than-savory uncle - the man who presents her with the choice of becoming a sparrow or winding up on the street. The remainder of the cast is top flight and the direction is sure handed. An exceptional, well-written movie worth every one of 5 stars.

Red Sparrow is a film adaptation of a trilogy of books. It centers around a Russian woman named Dominika (played by Jennifer Lawrence), a ballerina, who after suffering a career-ending injury is basically forced into a spy training program called the Red Sparrows which trains young Russian women in spycraft. An easy comparison for the film would be to that of The Americans TV series, however, while there are some character parallels between Keri Russell's character on the show to Lawrence's character in the movie since it is set entirely overseas, the better comparison would be to Atomic Blonde, with less over-the-top fight scenes. The movie is basically a spy thriller that has a KGB vs CIA kind of plotline, with the loyalties of pretty much every character called into question at some point. While it is set in modern-day (there are cell phones and laptops), because the spycraft in the novels was old so as to not reveal any modern-day secrets, the movie has a very cold-war 1970s-1980s feel to it. And, some of the technology in the film is very old-school. Those who are old enough to remember 3.5" discs will find it hilarious that they are being used to copy files off of a laptop computer. If any laptop had a 3.5" disc drive, they have not been around in a long time. For those who get the 4k blu-ray, the movie looks and sounds great on the format. The UHD disc has just the movie and the director's commentary. The regular Blu-Ray has all the other extras including previews, deleted scenes, and over an hour's worth of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes. A decent amount of material for those who like to watch the extras. Overall, the movie is very good. It is well written and acted, and Lawrence definitely takes on a totally different role than those she had played up to that point. The movie is very violent, and there is some nudity with a lot of sexual tones and themes. I have not read the books yet, so I am not sure how the movie compares to the novels, but if you are looking for a good action/drama, it is definitely worth checking out.

Worth a rental, not purchase. It's a decent spy thriller, acting is sufficient not spectacular. It's not an action movie it's a psychological thriller. The problem is that the build up in the early scenes is not done very well. The movie scenes are choppy and could have been better edited. Especially when it shows her training, you just don't get drawn in. There's just not much sex appeal or chemistry between the spies which makes it less believable. Overall it's a decent movie but would have been served with better acting and editing. The plot itself is very good with enough twists to keep it interesting. It interested me enough to read the book it is based on As for all the articles about JLs nudity - that was thankfully brief and much less than expected. If you're renting it fir that you may be disappointed The video streaming - When I watched it the subtitles were showing about a minute ahead. I tried many things including different devices before giving up on subtitles. The speech was also off, a few seconds. That was enough to be a annoying but still watchable. I called customer service and they said they were going to refund the rental charge.

Personally, in having seen "Red Sparrow" on Blu-ray recently, I admit to having had some misgivings about dealing with a movie where a plot has been centered around an era of a new Cold War with espionage as the central factor. But since the film has been based on Jason Matthews' first of three novels I thought that I would take a chance on a movie that is about as down to earth and not as outlandish as from the deep fantasy world of Ian Fleming's "James Bond 007" in both books and films on their own directions. "Red Sparrow" was a movie, that I think, turned out pretty impressive even though some scenes that had a level of violence were a little uncomfortable to watch the first time around until I got used to it in the way it was intended. After having learned that the author, Jason Matthews, had approved of the first movie, I felt so glad about it due to my belief in the authors' visions of their novels and that they should be respected by Hollywood filmmakers in order to make the movies that correspond to such visions. The storyline, as it was from the first novel, was pretty well done and the cast and locations were very good indeed. So I guess I can recommend "Red Sparrow" for those who are fans of the espionage world in cinematic form anyway.

At first this film seemed mediocre at my first screening. It was okay aside from minor nitpicks such as Jennifer's inconsistent Russian accent. However after the second and third viewing (Not by my choice but by circumstances), the film sort of grew on me and I would rate this as one of the best films released this year so far. Both Lawrences (Jennifer and director, Francis) could have gone the Bond/Bourne path and make her a kickass heroine (Charlize Theron beat her to it in Atomic Blonde), but instead they went for a more pessimistic and bleak tone akin to 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold', 'Tailor, Tinker, Soldier, Spy'. It is a slow-burn Cold War era thriller with present Russia no different from its Soviet era. Those expecting thrilling chases and spectacular shootouts will be sorely disappointed. This film focuses more on relationships between people on both sides of the 'Iron Curtain' (if it still exists!), character studies and motivations and plot mechanics that will frustrate the ADHD Marvel saturated crowd. You do get to see Jennifer in the nude briefly if it's carnal pleasure you are seeking. What strikes me for this film if the acting. I will not reveal the plot twist but if you do get to see it the second time, do watch out for the subtle nuances and speech patterns of certain actors within the first ten minutes, that is masterclass acting there.