Review of Atomic Blonde: Graphic Novel Adaptation

Watched Atomic Blonde yesterday on Apple tv enjoying an evening alone at home. I had vaguely heard about it but wasn’t prepared for the graphic violence. Only after watching the movie did I read that it is an adaptation of a graphic novel. That explains the style and why there is more John Wick than suspense in the movie. I did like some of the movie but overall I found it a bit unbalanced. It is obviously quite over the top but not as well done in that respect as John Wick in my opinion. Charlize Theron in the lead roles is a real plus. Her appearance and cool make this movie enjoyable. The story is a bit complicated and confusing but the constant fighting get in the way of building up tension. There is a nice classical spy movie scene where she tries to help a defector escape from East Berlin making use of the protests going on that lead to the fall of the Berlin wall. The movie makes good use of the setting in historic Berlin with the unrest going on, the music and clothing from the time playing an inportant role in determining the look and feel of the movie. It is tagged as ‘dark comedy’ and ‘Gun Fu‘ on IMDB. That should give you an idea about what to expect. Every now and then the dialogues are funny, like when a character comments about David Hasselhoff being in Berlin : ‘we are truly doomed‘. If you lived in the period the movie is a trip down memory lane and if you like Gun Fu then go ahead and watch it. If you are looking for a traditional spy movie, stay away from it.