Atomic Blonde [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2017]

Charlize Theron is a spy for MI-6 at the height of the cold war 1980's. Lots of action and rocking 80's music populate this dark (even physically so) espionage tale. People die, there's nudity, foul language, everything that says don't let someone under 16 watch it. The blu ray transfer looks fantastic and the DTS 7.1 channel master audio soundtrack will give your system a workout with music, gunfire and explosions. Hang on, you're in for a ride with this movie!

I love that I have another movie to add to my collection, which the movie came with a steel case, the steel cases are the best. But I expected the movie to be a little better. For movie watchers; it’s movie that I would say you should watch, but it’s not a must see.

It's not surprising that Atomic Blonde shares a lot of DNA with the similarly excellent John Wick; with David Leitch in the director chair, impressive action choreography and slick, smart camera work, it's easy to think you're getting into a gender bent Cold War Wick film- but I was pleasantly surprised to find that, more than John Wick, it felt like I was watching a James Bond film that finally found a happy middle ground between the camp of the classic Bonds and the melancholy of the modern films. Charlize Theron stars as Lorraine Broughton, a skilled MI6 agent dispatched to the Berlin Wall days before its inevitable collapse, chasing after a watch containing a list containing details of every Cold War espionage agent and their activities active in Berlin. Theoretically working with fellow MI6 agent David Percival (James McAvoy), the agency's main contact in the city, who has "gone native" in his time under cover- Lorraine quickly realizes that, with a traitor in MI6, and Percival playing his own games, that she can't really trust anyone, and finds herself embroiled in a game of cat and mouse between both sides. The story can get a little convoluted, and I found myself losing track of who a number of characters actually were- especially among the Soviets, and could have used a bit more Cold War spy tension; but what we do have is excellent, and I was never bored or distracted. The twists are both shocking, and really well executed. Theron continues her streak of playing strong, fun to watch characters that really sells her performance, while McAvoy absolutely steals the show as Percival, whose eccentricities at times seem more rock star than super spy. Unfortunately Sofia Boutella feels like she doesn't really get enough fleshing out or time to shine as french operative Lasalle, and Toby Jones and John Goodman feel somewhat wasted in their roles as Lorraine's MI6 handler and CIA contacts. Perhaps the greatest stand out is the quality of the action, however. Theron trained extensively to do all the stunts personally, and the effort, much like in John Wick, pays off tremendously- fast, visceral and well choreographed, Atomic Blonde's fight scenes are fantastic, and an extended oner near the film's end is one of my favorite movie fight scenes in a long, long time.

Of the 80 4K movies I now own, this has the best picture quality of the ones that are 4K upscaled (that is not filmed in native 4K). A close second is John Wick II. They were both filmed digitally, but the picture quality and colors in Atomic Blonde just blow me away. It even looks much better than some of my recent purchases that are native 4K such as Bladerunner, Ghostbusters, and Christine. If you are a 4K fan, you must be careful these days because some of the 4K upconverts are no better than the blu-rays. I am trying not to buy any more upscaled 4Ks, but this one was on sale and so I took a chance. Although I did not like this movie the first time I tried to watch it and stopped half way through, this time I watched the whole thing because the picture was consistently jaw dropping, and must say that Charlize Theron was right on a par with Jason Statham and Steve Seagal in this movie.

The movie takes place in East Berlin just prior to the collapse of the Eastern/Soviet Bloc. Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) portrays a British MI6 Agent/Assassin who is sent on a covert mission behind the Berlin wall and into a snake pit of intrigue in which not only her mission but her very life depend upon her instincts and training. Agents and representatives of the KGB, MI6 and the CIA are all represented in various capacities. The movie is an action packed ride from start to finish which includes several displays of the martial arts, a car chase, an intimate love scene and some rather unexpected twists and turns. Guaranteed to keep you in your seat to the very end of the movie.

Charlize Theron stars in an action driven, violent film as a secret agent in Germany during the Cold War. Plenty of action, hand-to-hand fighting, and great 80's sounds i.e. New Order. There is a brief lesbian erotic scene, but nothing extreme. Picture quality is fine (4K UHD) dialogue is clear, extras are minimal. Overall great addition to your 4K UHD library.

Great action / suspense movie. Charlize Theron like you've never seen before.

1. Director David Leitch has been around motion pictures for a while now. Early on as a stuntman, second unit director and most recently a co-director on “John Wick” (2014). Needless to say, he knows his way around a filmed fight scene. And this film features and unending supply of fight scenes. Some may be surprised to see that Charlize Theron is in all of those scenes. She’s earned her fighting chops is films like “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015) and “The Fate of the Furious” (2017). But neither of those performances feature a non-stop ball-busting heroine like British MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton. Theron, who is also a producer, bought the rights to the graphic novel series “The Coldest City” on which the film is based. Set in Berlin in 1989 in the days leading up to the official integration of the east and the west, Lorraine is sent to recover a list of spies stolen from another agent who was killed. He also happened to be a former lover of Lorraine’s. It appears he was killed by the Soviets or their East German Stasi allies. Lorraine meets up with her MI6 contact, David Percival (James McAvoy) who seems to be a bit off kilter compared to Ms. Broughton. We know something went wrong early on as we see all of this action in flashback scenes. Lorraine is being debriefed in London by her immediate boss, Eric Gray (Toby Jones) and his CIA counterpart, Emmett Kurzfeld (John Goodman). The MI6 chief, “C” (James Faulkner), is looking on behind the one-way glass. Leitch and his cinematographer, Jonathan Sela set a color palate early on. Shades of blue when Loraine is in wind-down or recovery mode. Check out the scene (in trailers) when we see her pull her battered body out of a bathtub filled with ice cubes. When the action gets hot – including scenes with French character named Delphine (Sofia Boutella) – the red coloring is prominent. Another great character in the film is the soundtrack with songs from David Bowie, George Michael, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash and even Nena and Kaleida’s different versions of “99 Luftballons.” It all sounds great in Dolby ATMOS. While the spy list seems a bit too illusive, we discover that a potential defector called Spyglass (Eddie Marsan) also has the list…memorized. So he becomes a key element in the story. Lorraine’s mission becomes more complex as she is tasked to escort him from East Berlin to West Berlin then back to England. In a fight scene reminiscent of one out of a Paul Greengrass “Bourne” film or Gareth Evans’ “Raid” film or yes, “John Wick,” Leitch, Sela and their stunt coordinators pull off a 10-minute sequence that appears to be uncut. It’s amazing! As is Theron who never flinches. Well she does, but you understand what I mean. She does the work. What pulls the film back a bit from perfection is a convoluted story with too many changes in direction and absurd plot points. Don’t be too concerned however. Miss Theron has proven to be one of the best action characters on the screen today. Recommended.