Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
2018
***
It’s been quite a while since the last really good Cold War thriller has
been made, and while we’re told the Cold War is over, the film does suggest
that it never really ended. While it might sound like political nonsense and a
‘what if’ scenario, we should remember that the novel on which it is based on
was written by ex-CIA agent Jason Matthews. The Red Sparrows do in fact exist,
so while the story is fictional, there is some truth to it. Matthews said
the idea of sparrows and a sparrow school was based on State School 4 in the
Soviet Union, though Russian "sexpionage" is now done by women
contracted outside of spy agencies. The Russian concept of kompromat
(compromising material about a politician or other public figure used to create negative
publicity, for blackmail or for ensuring loyalty) was also
influential. Director Francis Lawrence worked on adapting Matthews' book in
2015 (two years after its release), and has said that at the time, he had
reservations about the timeliness of a Cold War story. I believe the
release of the book was timed perfectly. Screenwriter Justin
Haythe reduced the number of narrators and shifting perspectives in the
novel, concentrating on Dominika. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who
appears in the novel, was also cut from the adaptation, due to Lawrence's
belief that it would be a distraction to have an actor play the highly public
figure and frankly, the world the way it is in 2018, it was probably best
avoided. That said, some might suggest that Matthias
Schoenaerts’s striking resemblance to the President could have been why he was cast
– this has been denied of course but either way, he’s great in his role.
Matthews has said he based his book on his experiences in the CIA and was
also hired as technical adviser, to supervise the accuracy of the
depiction of espionage. It certainly made the film a more authentic experience
in my opinion. The story focuses on Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence), a
famed Russian ballerina who has supported her ill mother since the death of her
father. Following a career-ending injury, Dominika is approached by her uncle,
Ivan (Matthias Schoenaerts), the Deputy Director of SVR. She is tasked
with seducing Dimitry Ustinov, a Russian gangster who took shine to her
during one of her last performances, in exchange for her mother's continued
medical care. Dominika agrees but is unprepared for what happens. Help doesn’t
come as soon as she expects and Ustinov rapes her, before he is killed by
Sergei Matorin, an SVR operative authorized by Ivan. Ivan offers Dominika a
choice to begin working for the SVR, or be executed so there are no witnesses
to Ustinov's death. With little choice and for the protection of her mother,
Dominika is sent to State School 4, a specialist training schools for 'Sparrows',
SVR operatives capable of seducing their targets. Dominika excels in her
training, despite some friction with her trainers, particularly the Matron
(Charlotte Rampling), and she is assigned to Budapest. Meanwhile the SVR has
been tracking a CIA agent called Nash (Joel Edgerton), and hopes to find out
the identity of the SVR mole he has been meeting with. Dominika's assignment is
to gain the trust of Nash, and reveal his contact. Things get a little
complicated from there on, as the CIA find out exactly who Dominika is and she
doesn’t do anything to stop them. Supposedly working now as a double agent, it
is uncertain what her intentions are until the very end. I thought
the conclusion was quite good, unexpected, if a little convoluted. On the whole
I really enjoyed the story, and as much as I thought Francis Lawrence’s
direction was strong, I think the structure of the movie was all wrong. I see
the story as something far more Kubrickian than the finished article. It’s a
long film but all the important aspects of the story felt rushed. I believe the
first third of the film should have been about the ballet and the
assassination, the second act should have just been about State School 4 and
then the last chapter should have been her first assignment. Not enough time
was spent in State School 4, it felt like she was only there for a couple of
days, so I was never convinced by any of her methods. She went from ballerina
to Sparrow in no time at all, which is pretty ridiculous. I think they should
have gone Full Metal Jacket on the story and had distinctly different chapters.
The performances are all very strong and Jennifer Lawrence clearly pushed
herself to the limits in several scenes. I’m not sure they got all of her
scenes right though, her sexual scenes in particular. By the end of the film
there had been so many shocking scenes that they began to have less impact. I
felt that the intrigue of the story lessened dramatically and I was only half
as thrilling as it could have been. I don’t feel there was convincing chemistry
between Lawrence and Edgerton either. The torture scenes also fell a
bit flat – I’m not really into torture but when it is unconvincing as
it was here, the sense of dread and danger is lost, and these are key components of
a film such as this. The story should have been simplified for full effect but
it certainly isn’t without merit. It’s entertaining and kept me guessing right
until the end.
