The Game Within the Game

A woman – bruised, battered and alone in a cool, sterile bathroom, attempting to lick her copious wounds (literally and figuratively) prior to being brought before an equally uninviting clandestine location filled with higher ups is the lead in (to clarify, it is the second scene) to the new David Leitch (co-director of the first John Wick) action thriller Atomic Blonde – based on the graphic novel “The Coldest City” by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart.

Set during the last days of the Cold War, the female spy is Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron), an MI6 agent who, ten days previously, had been sent into Berlin to complete an unenvious mission. Retelling her tale to her twitchy superior, Eric Gray (Toby Jones), and the seemingly more daunting CIA agent, Emmett Kurzfeld (John Goodman), she is watched closely by Chief ‘C’ (James Faulkner), who sits just behind a one-way mirror – it feels like the dame is utterly alone, perhaps more fragile than she has ever been before.

With the winds of change blowing in Berlin, Broughton was sent into the East/West split city to recover a piece of microfilm known as The List (procured by a Soviet defector codenamed Spyglass – Eddie Marsan), a piece of vital information that everyone is fighting for. It is a dangerous place, spies and thugs round every corner, with ostensibly nowhere to hide. To further complicate things, the KGB knows she is in the German capital, there is a mysterious woman trailing her, and her liaison in the city is David Percival (James McAvoy), a slithery fellow who cannot be trusted. There is also a double agent somewhere in the ranks, only known as Satchel.

It is a game of cat and mouse, skulking and spying, but also violent confrontations when two moving pieces meet. Broughton is eventually approached by the ever-watching woman, and learns that she is a newbie French spy, Delphine Lasalle (Sofia Boutella), who feels more and more out of her league. The only person who truly does seem to be in his element is Percival, a masterful game player who has made connections and discovered secrets over his ten year stint in Berlin. Broughton must tread carefully, as each face, whether seemingly friendly or foul, may be the opposite.

Director Leitch brings a visual aesthetic that cannot be denied. Despite there being some flaws with the Cold War spy caper (some pacing, especially in the early going), the filmmaker is able to transcend the issues, bringing a vivid world to life. A city of growing unrest, there is a palpable realism to the wholly surreal tale. Fusing the beauty with the gritty, the atomic glow of the neon lights that litter the feature, it feels perfect for the narrative – the enticing flicker of neon, yet also its cold, phony, fabricated glow. It is an example of the characters, Theron’s Broughton just one representation of a beautiful yet unreadable face, a secret agent who is cool, calm and collected, despite one precarious situation after another.

Bugs, wires and eyes are everywhere, as information is a hot commodity. Set in an intriguing era, it is unlike the digital espionage seen in films today. . . bulky analog of the 1980s. Likewise, the soundtrack draws the viewer in. Songs of the era litter the film, some originals, others German remakes. Handled with great care, there are some similarities to the recently released Baby Driver, as the tunes are often used in original ways. A standout scene finds Broughton entering a club, After the Fire’s “Der Kommissar” blaring in the forefront. As she approaches the bar, her cigarette is lit by a man, the sizzle stomping out the song, revealing the real music being played in the nightclub – “As Time Goes By”, a nice nod to the many dangerous happenings that occurred in Rick’s Café Américain seventy-five years ago in Casablanca. A Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran (So Far Away)”, Queen/David Bowie’s “Under Pressure”, The Clash’s “London Calling”, Nena’s “99 Luftballons”, and other songs are utilized in many ways, sometimes diegetic (heard within the world of those onscreen), sometimes not – sometimes cleverly in between.

But, in the end, it is the visceral action that is the driving force. Rivetting car chases, confrontations with police (an impressive sequence that takes place in a flat several stories up), unexpected assassinations, and dangerous escapes – the most awe-inspiring finds Broughton attempting to transport Spyglass across the border (starting with clever subterfuge, it leads to a mesmerizing stairwell battle, and concludes with a raucous car chase), are handled with the utmost care by Leitch. Eight minutes of hand to hand combat and gunfire are shot in one continuous take (at least it looks like that – there are a few subtle cuts held within it) – perhaps one of the most impressive action sequences ever captured on film. Adding to it, we know Theron is doing the stunts herself, the tracking shots vividly and violently depicting the mayhem left in her wake. Finally, it must also be mentioned that it was a nice touch to have her stumbling against her opponent at the end (so wounded and fatigued, the pair could barely stand, let alone fight each other) – you most definitely do not see that in your typical action fare. There is a beauty in the way Leitch films his violence – despite the fact that it is not flawless in its appearance, like so many other films. One uncomfortably humourous moment finds a man with a knife in his back trying to remove it, though it is in a rather tough spot to grab.

Another sly tribute to film history finds Broughton taking refuge in a packed movie theatre showing the highly regarded 1979 Soviet film, Stalker – posters plastering the wall perfectly capture the predicament our heroine is in.

A most magnificent example of action done right, 2017’s Atomic Blonde is most definitely worth a watch. Despite some flaws in the story (a touch of style over substance), there is enough meat on the bone to make for a pleasing action flick. Some clever quotations, touches of humour and Cold War intrigue draw us in, making for the perfect conduit for Theron to demonstrate her skills as a female John Wick/James Bond hybrid. So don’t have any negative preconceived notions about action films, tear down that wall and write Atomic Blonde onto your list. . . and don’t forget to place it in your satchel.