It’s overlong (140 minutes), solid rather than thrilling but Red Sparrow is still an entertaining espionage story – particularly when Jennifer Lawrence is playing off both the Russians and the Americans. She leaves you guessing.
As a ‘red sparrow’, operatives trained to use the art of seduction as a weapon, Lawrence is out to find the high-ranking Russian mole: the CIA player is Joel Edgerton. It’s their chemistry together that keeps the film engaging if not exactly riveting.
Director Francis Lawrence has created an elegant adaptation of the novel, but less ‘Cold-War’ dialogue and a few more hawkish moments would have been welcome.
Rating: 60%
Director: Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games, I Am Legend)
Writer: Justin Haythe (A Cure For Wellness, Revolutionary Road) – based on the book by Jason Matthews
Main cast: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook, The Hunger Games), Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby, Black Mass), Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead, The Danish Girl)
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