Very disappointing. It's the rare spy flick where the spy aspects, which account for about 3/4 of the runtime, are the worst parts of it. The plot of the film follows the search for "The List," a catalogue of CIA and British assets personal details that could lead to disaster if it falls in the wrong hands, i.e., Russian hands. The cast features a strong ensemble of actors that all fit relatively comfortably in their idiosyncratic roles. But there is a stunning lack of momentum to the proceedings when Charlize Theron is not kicking ass; one never gets the feeling the plot is moving any direction during a particular scene, only lurching forward by randomly cutting to some new revelation. Cuts which themselves totally frustrated me thanks to the framing device of the film: Theron's character being interrogated about her actions in Berlin and thus the bulk of the film is presented as flashback, but the aforementioned cuts are to scenes where she is not present. Even worse, the attempts at emotion land with a thud and last act plot twists make any attempt to decipher previous characters motivations feel pointless.

The good news, at least, is that the action is all memorable. It's an intriguing mix of John Wick and bone-crunching brutally that gives it a nasty sense of realism. Theron is more than up to the physical challenge, and one 5+ minute sequence shot as a continuous take is a tour de force almost worth the price of admission alone. I would recommend that if you haven't enjoyed Atomic Blonde up to that point to call it quits, because it is a Mt. Everest sized peak for the movie.

C-

The overall tone of the Atomic Blond didn't work for me: it clearly wants to be 'hardcore', yet it careens through (enjoyable) softcore 80's music video style montages. There seemed to be a flicker of humor in the co-stars, but Charlize Theron was ultra cool and detached. Too much so. She has demonstrated her talent for so much more many times before. Sure, that's a character she's playing, but I needed her role to show a streak of dark humor too - or at least a couple of catchphrases! Or I could't have stayed with the whole 80's cool vibe, but with an editor with a lot more verve. I liked Atomic Blond, and I am certainly grateful for any opportunity to see Charlize Theron in the nude yet again (albeit artfully), but it's all a bit of a lost cause. *B-*

I enjoyed this quite a bit.

Disappointing. There's a lot that I really liked about this - Charlize Theron is great and it's definitely stylish, with the '80s soundtrack proving to be one of the more memorable aspects that set it apart. But I thought it could have been a lot more fun. The plot is incomprehensible and the many last minute twists they throw at you don't work at all. I also thought that while the action was cool and gritty, the staircase scene wasn't as groundbreaking as the ads have made it out to be. It's worth checking out and I liked it more than the John Wick movies, but I hope if there's a sequel it is stronger. B-

I was also incredibly tired when I saw this, so I'd be willing to give it a second chance.

Atomic Blonde is a blast furnace of high-test, sexy exhilaration. I would broadly file it alongside such disparate pictures as Drive, From Dusk Till Dawn, Run Lola Run, and Snatch; it never allows the viewer to catch his or her breath, and one leaves the theatre feeling ten feet taller and ready to smoke a cigarette while driving 105mph and wearing sunglasses...at night. Every actor is perfectly cast: Charlize Theron as the enigmatic, statuesque female answer to James Bond; James McAvoy as a West Berlin station chief gone wild-eyed and feral; and John Goodman and Toby Jones, among others, as rumpled superior officers always trying (and mostly failing) to wrap their minds around the brutality and insanity unfolding in the field. The action sequences are virtuoso, particularly a minutes-long, single-shot fight through an apartment building rivaling similar scenes in Children of Men and The Raid. And the action is complemented by an engaging, John le Carré-esque plot where everyone is listening in on everyone else and double crosses turn into triple and quadruple crosses. The cinematography is elegant and infused with neon. And the pulsating '80s music—including choice cuts by David Bowie, New Order, Public Enemy, and 'Til Tuesday—is to die for. This is the most purely fun and adrenaline-pumping action film of the year.

A-

2nd! For me, the stairwell/apartment fight alone is worth the price of admission--it just helps that the rest is enjoyable as well.

I loved the fuck out of this movie. It's sleek, slick, and sexy. Really cannot imagine a better movie soundtrack this year. The cinematography was awesome. Loved the use of neon. The action scenes are great. The plot is very possibly incomprehensible but I didn't mind as I was having too much fun. Charlize Theron was totally bad-ass and Sofia Boutella was gorgeous.

I believe it's my #2 of the year at the moment after Baby Driver. Would love a sequel.

9/10 (A)

You know, if every song selection didn't annoy the living fuck out of me, I could've really enjoyed this. As a matter of fact, I don't have much of a problem with anything from the awesome "one-take" on. But from literally every song choice, to the lighting...hey, did you guys know this movie took place in 1989? Apparently the Berlin Wall coming down wasn't a big enough clue. What's the matter, they didn't have Alf in Berlin? That couldn't have played on her TV?

So yeah, everything before the one-take was boring aren't we cool garbage. Then the movie clicked for me. Maybe if I see it again on HBO air something it'll work for me. Until then...

C

Does "Atomic" by Blondie feature in this film?

Good action but the story is definitely too twisty in the end and looses its meaning. Theron was great in it and I would love a sequel for this.

7/10

I forgot to post a review but I liked this alot. Its very stylish and cool (though sometimes too cool for school). The action scenes, especially the staircase one are really badass. And Theron owns the role and can carry us through the tough times. Oh and that sex scene had me more excited than any I can remember in theaters.

It goes on for too long at the end and has a few too many twists which keeps it from true greatness. Really solid flick and this type of movie is why I made the B++ rating.

I enjoyed this, but it did get way too convoluted in the second half. There were a ridiculous amount of twists that felt like they came out of nowhere IMO, but luckily they don't bog the movie down too much. Theron is good here, especially from a physical aspect, but her character was a bit too cold for me to get truly invested in. I really liked McAvoy though, because I wasn't expecting them to go the route they did with his character, but man does that guy have a lot of charisma and screen presence. Of course, the star of this movie are the action sequences particularly the stair case fight which is excellent, and I would have like to see more dynamic stuff like that in this movie. Also, the lesbian scene was hot, but nothing special lol.

B

Atomic Blonde

I guess it was okay, but it has serious flaws. It is a cool and slick film, with some good ideas but the sequences are copied from many other action films. In terms of action, it is trying to be a female version of The Raid and John Wick, and it is a resounding fail in that regard. When you want to make an action film, hire a team that knows what they are doing. A mis-timed hit here, a pulled punch there, and opponents waiting to for Charlize to finish her performance (due to bad choreography), it is sloppily made. And call it my chauvinism, but I do not buy Charlize throwing around these 6-foot Germans. Never is it believable. Theron is simply miscast. And she is not bad ass enough. Including McAvoy she kills five people leading up to the final scene where she kills another five (by my count, although she seems to be firing bullets into the same people that she already killed). The first half is decent and there seems to be a real verve and anticipation. But I lost interest in the final quarter with a twist I could see coming amid an array of scenes that should have been trimmed down (a run time of 90 minutes would have been better). Atomic Blonde has some cool 80s tunes, but they just irked me for some reason. Some are oddly placed. Queen's "Under Pressure", for example, is used as the final track which then plays over the credits. Great song but it isn't the right one there. It felt weird. Then Bowie's "Cat People", while one of my favourite songs, is too associated with Inglourious Basterds for me to like its inclusion here. There are other examples too, of songs that are played for the sake of it. A serious lack of what works in terms of songs. It just seemed like they were throwing 80s tracks at the film just because. I mean, I like an 80s tune as much as the next man, but I do not think they were well utilised here. Oh, and that lesbian scene they shoehorned in to give the film a memorable edge for horny teens, is lame as fuck.

Atomic Blonde feels like a film made by those influenced by Tarantino and is thus trying to be "Kill Bill in Berlin", but with a 'wafer thin' plot that is edited to seem more complex, and an action team that is too inexperienced in shooting realistic fights, the film becomes a misfire in its attempt to follow in the footsteps of recent modern action classics.

C+

This and Baby Driver are the most overrated films of the 2017.

Would definately agree with this, it was massively missold bar one big sequence with Theron trying to get a defector out of the East and the stairway fight.

Was being a bit to clever with its own who is telling the truth crap, but the overall style and delivery was great. worth a watch.

Atomic Blonde is an entertaining film, it's got the right action and cast involved to make it mostly fun. The best thing about the film is the nice 80's music score, but it wasn't integrated with the film as well as it could. I actually felt, that besides the music it didn't felt like it conveyed the time it took place well (although I do believe the way the cars fell apart at the crashed in the end were like how poorly built cars were back then). I like Boutella a lot, so fond of her role in this too, but the rest of the characters are not very engaging. And that especially goes for Theron's character, who's good in the role itself, her motivations never get interesting. The film misses something of a proper story telling to connect with, ok, there's a list and everyone is after it, and there's double crosses, but I perceived it as quite muddled. It's a real OK film, but I don't compare it that favorably with its male led contemporaries. A female John Wick it's certainly not, because of its lack of an emotional punch, but it stands its ground R-rated action wise.

B