BLU-RAY REVIEW: ATOMIC BLONDE
11/12/2017

OVERVIEW: Double-crossed while sent to collect stolen intelligence in East Germany, elusive secret agent Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Fate of the Furious) unleashes a deadly arsenal of skills in ATOMIC BLONDE, the adrenaline pumping, stylish spy-thriller, coming to Digital on October 24, 2017 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on November 14, 2017, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Adapted from Antony Johnson’s graphic novel, The Coldest City, the explosive film set in the late eighties takes viewers on a high-stakes chase as Theron attempts to escape Berlin. The 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital versions include commentary from the cast, filmmakers, stunt performers and fight coordinators, plus behind-the-scenes features that take viewers inside the making of the film’s intense stunt choreography.

SYNOPSIS: Oscar®-winner Charlize Theron stars as elite MI6’s most lethal assassin and the crown jewel of her Majesty’s secret intelligence service, Lorraine Broughton, in ATOMIC BLONDE. When she’s sent on a covert mission into Cold War Berlin, she must use all of the spycraft, sensuality and savagery she has to stay alive in the ticking time bomb of a city simmering with revolution and double-crossing hives of traitors. Broughton must navigate her way through a deadly game of spies to recover a priceless dossier while fighting ferocious killers along the way in this breakneck action-thriller from director David Leitch (Deadpool 2, John Wick). Theron is joined by James McAvoy (Split, X-Men: First Class), Sofia Boutella (The Mummy, Star Trek Beyond) and John Goodman (Transformers: The Last Knight, Patriots Day) in what critics are calling “the best spy movie in years,” Shawn Edwards, FOX-TV.

FILM REVIEW:

David Percival: Don't shoot, I've got your shoe!

James Bond, Ethan Hunt, Jason Bourne . . . Lorraine Broughton! She can give any of these other guys a run for their money, even with just a shoe. The time is 1989, the place is Europe but more specifically East and West Berlin (just before the wall came down), the who is an array of spies, highly skilled operatives/assasins, and government agencies including their suits and respective agents, the what is a watch, and the why, well let's not give too much away. From the very beginning of the movie the back of your seat might not be felt again because this film will take you to the edge of it. I will be honest, I didn't know what to expect other than Charlize Theron (we'll discuss her a little later), so I initially thought this movie might be just another cheesy spy movie with a typical story, typical action, and just all around typical. If you are a fan of such, then there might not be anything wrong with typical, however, was I wrong and more than pleasantly surprised.

The movie is action packed yet not all about the action, it's a thriller with plenty of action, it's roller coaster ride with very little straight aways. I was blown away compared to what I was expecting. Lorraine is a serious badass and the intensity she brings to an already intense film takes the intensity to an exponential amount. As mentioned, the opening scenes will wow you in different ways but with the same amount of wow. Overall, the best way to describe this film in one word would have to be sexy. It is extremely sexy in so many ways. You could consider just about every aspect of this film to be sexy. The music, the colors, the visuals, the cinematography, the wardrobe, the performances, the script, heck even the action sequences can be considered sexy. Of course I left the best most sexiest aspect of the film for last, the Atomic Blonde herself, Charlize Theron in the lead role as Lorraine Broughton. Charlize IS arguably and easily one of the most beautiful women on the big screen today, and ever for that matter. All that + action = WOW! I don't recall if she has ever done such a demanding action role as this one so I was a little skeptical about that too. Yeap, I was wrong. She pulls it off convincingly and with the right swagger and attitude. I mean Charlize is as much an amazing actress as she is an amazing beauty. Her performance both verbally and physically was spot on. Even knowing that she is extremely talented, I was not prepared to witness the many new sides of Charlize Theron that I got to see in this film. All kinds of sides. Did I mention this film is very, very sexy? Taking little ones along to see this movie might not be a good idea. This one is geared towards the adult crowd. I do want to mention two additional sexy aspects of the film and they are James McAvoy and the newly very popular Sofia Boutella. They both hold their own in the sexy meter along side Charlize and they give sharp performances as well.

Director David Leitch has done quite an impressive job with this production with his limited directorial experience. His vast experience as a stunt man/stunt double/stunt coordinator definitely shows in a good way. The action sequences are mesmerizing. Did I mention a roller coaster ride? Watch out for those twists and turns. This movie is a hit, don't underestimate it and enjoy!

Review By Cine Marcos  
cinemarcos@smartcine.com

BLU-RAY: The film is presented in widescreen in a 2.40:1 aspect ration preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 Master Audio in English that provides a good complement to the picture. It also includes  English and Spanish subtitles.

VIDEO:
Widescreen (2.40:1) 16x9

AUDIO:
English DTS: X Master Audio, Brazilian Portuguese, French Canadian, French European and Latin American Spanish DTS Digital Surround 5.1

Subtitles - English SDH, Brazilian Portuguese, French Canadian, French European and Latin American Spanish

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.

DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.

DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

Deleted and Extended Scenes

Welcome to Berlin – The ultimate setting for a Cold War spy thriller, Berlin becomes a character of its own. Go behind the wall for this making-off.

Blondes Have More Gun – Lorraine Broughton has one impressive set of skills. See what it took for Charlize Theron to fully transform herself into this tenacious character.

Spymaster – David Leitch spins the spy genre on its head through exemplary action sequences and complex characters. Hear from cast and crew what it was like to work with this cutting edge director.

Anatomy of a Fight Scene – Director David Leitch breaks down the incredibly detailed long-take stairwell shot in this anatomy of a fight scene.

Story in Motion: Agent Broughton – See Agent Broughton as you never have before in these motion storyboards.

Story in Motion: The Chase – Gascoigne is on the run. Find out who's after him in this motion storyboard.

Feature Commentary with Director David Leitch and Editor Elisabet Ronaldsdottir