The Rhythm Section (2020)

After losing her family in a terrorist attack, a young woman goes to extreme lengths to find and confront the people behind it.

I was really looking forward to this one, but when it was released, all hell broke loose. I will assume that that was the case for thousands of people and, mainly, that that was the reason for “one of the worst box office openings in history” – Bad Boys for Life (2020), though it was released a fortnight prior to it and triumphed.

So, as that cannot be the only reason, I’m trying to get the full picture here. The story itself is not original, but there is no such thing anyway, so I guess that there are two problems. First, it lies with the low level of espionage and the information surrounding it. People are found just… easily. Secondly, Stephanie was taken in… easily. “B” thought she caused big trouble with her actions; he didn’t believe in her skills, yet he started training her immediately. That didn’t really make much sense.

Having said that, the film is well-shot. The photography is dark, the editing advances the story and drives it forward, Reed Morano’s directing is challenging, to the point where I would say exceptional, and Blake Lively proves to be the up-and-coming mercenary / assassin. The car chase is the film’s trademark and will get you on the edge of your seat. Also, the realistic fight sequences add extra believability to the heroine’s journey.

The film’s challenges are understandable, but with James Bond‘s producers behind it, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem to get made. Again, my humble, unsolicited opinion is that the problem was the script. More time should have been spent on her acceptance, training, and difficulty acquiring the targets. Morano and Lively put a tremendous effort and that needs to be recognised.

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Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

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