Imagine a world where your whole life was making it big in ballet and trying to provide for a loved one - completely ripped away by an accident and forcing you to pursue a career elsewhere that involved learning the art of seduction and manipulation using your body and carefully navigating through a world of lies and intrigue to survive. That's pretty much the gist of "Red Sparrow" - a film adaptation of author Jason Matthews' 2013 book of the same name, and starring rising Hollywood actress and Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence in what is possibly her most daring role in any film yet and reuniting her with her "The Hunger Games" movies director Francis Lawrence to boot.
Thanks to 20th Century Fox Philippines, I was able to catch this Spy Thriller on IMAX - a format that's well deserving of a film of this caliber thanks to its location hopping settings in places like Slovakia, Hungary, Vienna, Budapest, and London. If you enjoy other movies of this genre like the Bond, Bourne, and Jack Ryan films, then you'll feel right at home with Dominika Egorova - who follows in the footsteps of other femme fatales yet doesn't exactly start off as a willing participant into the "Sparrow" program. You want something different with Jennifer Lawrence, this is one project that's giving her renewed attention and exposure in a new light. Here's a small review on why I think it's fresh and a must see.
In all its simplicity and dramatic flair, "Red Sparrow" is not your average spy film if you take its plot through the eyes of protagonist and what she has to do to survive. Jennifer Lawrence literally "bares it all" as Dominika - a ballet prodigy that gets injured and is backed to a corner to make ends meet until her uncle Ivan, who has political and military influence in the Russian Government, coerces her to become a "Sparrow" in order to provide for her ailing mother. Through the course of the film, Dominika uses what she has learned about seducing her targets to extract information and date in service of her country. However he interactions with a male CIA agent provides her with a window to be be free of her situation, as well as learning just how intricate the remnants of the Cold War and espionage between different countries is that blur the lines and make everything greyer than it should be.
Backed up by a solid supporting cast that includes Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, and the legendary Jeremy Irons, Jennifer Lawrence gives a solid performance in "Red Sparrow" that could be the start of a brand new film franchise based on Jason Matthews novels. For Marvel fans, it's the kind of film that could make for a great "Black Widow" movie if they ever made one - sharing similar backgrounds with a female Russian spy lead who is trying to do what it takes to survive while retaining her own identity in the midst of lies and deceit. Great stuff to see for a change, and definitely worth it for anyone who likes spy stuff.
"Red Sparrow" is now playing in theaters c/o 20th Century Fox Philippines.
Rating - 4/5
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