Atomic Blonde Explained

Atomic Blonde
Director:David Leitch
Screenplay:Kurt Johnstad
Music:Tyler Bates
Cinematography:Jonathan Sela
Editing:Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir
Distributor:Focus Features
Runtime:115 minutes[1]
Country:United States
Budget:$30 million
Gross:$100 million[2]

Atomic Blonde is a 2017 American action thriller film directed by David Leitch (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Kurt Johnstad, based on the 2012 graphic novel The Coldest City by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart. The film stars Charlize Theron (who also served as a co-producer), James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella, and Toby Jones. The story revolves around a spy who has to find a list of double agents that is being smuggled into the West on the eve of the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Atomic Blonde premiered at South by Southwest on March 12, 2017, and was released in the United States on July 28, by Focus Features. The film was a box-office hit, grossing $100 million worldwide against a budget of $30 million, and received generally positive reviews from critics. Many compared the film to the John Wick series, for which Leitch was an uncredited co-director and producer of the first film.[3] [4] As of April 2020, a sequel was in development.

Plot

In November 1989, days before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, KGB agent Yuri Bakhtin kills MI6 agent James Gascoigne and steals his watch containing The List, a microfilm document with the names of every intelligence agent active in Berlin.

A day later, top-level MI6 spy Lorraine Broughton is dispatched to recover The List. She is told to keep an eye out for Satchel, a mysterious double agent for the KGB. Arriving in Berlin, she encounters two KGB agents with a message from their boss, Aleksander Bremovych. She escapes them and is picked up by her real contact, maverick MI6 station head David Percival. Lorraine searches Gascoigne's apartment and discovers a picture of him and Percival. Percival had previously denied knowing Gascoigne, so she suspects Percival was behind the West Berlin police ambushing her while she searched Gascoigne's apartment. When Lorraine visits a restaurant mentioned by the KGB agents she encounters Bremovych, but is "saved" by novice French agent Delphine Lasalle. Although initially suspicious of Lasalle, Lorraine later enters into a relationship with her. Lasalle suggests that they should work together.

Percival, having tailed Lorraine, surveils a watchmaker she visited and spots Bakhtin. Lorraine is informed that Satchel's identity has been compromised. Percival kills Bakhtin and takes the wristwatch from which he discovers who Satchel is. Meanwhile, Lorraine learns that Spyglass, the Stasi officer who gave The List to Gascoigne, has memorized it. Ignorant that Percival has The List, she makes plans with him to escort Spyglass to West Berlin. Percival meets with Bremovych and offers Satchel's identity "to keep the balance", and tips him off about their plan to extricate Spyglass. Lasalle covertly photographs the meeting.

During the extrication of Spyglass, Percival secretly shoots and wounds him. Lorraine battles multiple KGB agents while trying to escape with the wounded Spyglass. After a grueling fight and a car chase, their car is pushed into a river and Spyglass drowns. Lorraine makes it to West Berlin and realizes Percival has planted a bug in her coat. She tells Lasalle, who calls and threatens Percival with her knowledge of his Bremovych meeting. Percival goes to Lasalle's apartment and kills her, fleeing as Lorraine arrives moments later. Lorraine discovers Lasalle's photographs and realizes Percival has The List. Percival attempts to flee, but Lorraine intercepts, kills him, and takes The List.

Later, Lorraine is debriefed by MI6 executive Eric Gray and Emmett Kurzfeld. While there, she discovers Percival had told Gray he had The List and he was "very close to Satchel". She presents Lasalle's photographs and doctored audio recordings, which paint Percival as Satchel. She denies knowing The List's whereabouts, leaving MI6 no choice but to close the case.

Three days later in Paris, Lorraine, now speaking in Russian, meets with Bremovych, who addresses her as "Comrade Satchel". Bremovych, having learned from Percival there is more to Satchel than he had previously known, orders his men to kill her. Lorraine kills his henchmen. Speaking with an American accent, she tells Bremovych she always fed him misinformation to manipulate the KGB, and kills him. She and Kurzfeld return to America with The List. In their conversation, it is implied Lorraine is actually a triple agent and had been working for the CIA all along.

Cast

In addition, Sam Hargrave and Bill Skarsgård make brief appearances as MI6 agent James Gascoigne and as Lorraine's East German contact and presumed CIA ally Merkel, respectively. Daniel Bernhardt also played a strong thug working for Bremovych who fights Lorraine several times.

Production

Development

An adaptation of the graphic novel The Coldest City was announced in May 2015.[5] Described by Variety as a "Passion Project" for Theron, she first came across the story five years prior, when her production company Denver and Delilah Productions was sent the then-unpublished graphic novel.[6] Theron's interest in the first John Wick movie inspired her to get David Leitch, one of the directors, to helm the project.[7] Leitch eventually left to direct the film.[8] According to Theron, the success of helped guide the development of Atomic Blonde.[9] The film features a bisexual subplot that was not in the original book. This came from writer Kurt Johnstad, who suggested it after Theron was "thinking about how do you make this different from other spy movies".[10] Leitch has insisted that the scenes are not there to be "provocative", but "more about if you are a spy you will do whatever it takes to get information" and how the main character "find[s] her intimacies and her friendships in small doses".[10]

Theron's casting as the lead was announced in May 2015,[5] while James McAvoy was announced that October. In November, John Goodman was reported as also being in talks to join the film.[11] [12] It was originally hoped that David Bowie would play a part in the film, although he turned down the offer shortly before his death.[13] To prepare for the role, Theron worked with eight personal trainers, who "basically made [her] puke every single day". During the process, Theron cracked her teeth from clenching her jaw and had to get them fixed in surgery.[14] She also bruised a rib during her training.[15] As Theron's training for the movie overlapped with Keanu Reeves' training for , the two developed a competitive relationship, which included sparring together.[16]

Filming

Principal photography on the film began on November 22, 2015, in Budapest,[17] and later moved to Berlin.

Music

Atomic Blonde: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Type:soundtrack
Artist:Tyler Bates
Label:Back Lot Music

From the start, Leitch felt that using the right songs for the project was crucial. Part of this was attempting to answer the question "How do you reinvent this stuffy Cold War spy movie?"[18] The soundtrack uses a combination of 1980s songs as well as covers of them. The latter were used to add "a contemporized feeling of the '80s". The movie's producers were initially worried that they would not be able to get the rights to all the songs that Leitch wanted to use,[18] but Leitch himself estimated that around 75% of his picks made it into the final product.[19] Though the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the concentration of iconic songs was from the first half of the 1980s, with the exception of George Michael's 1988 chart-topping "Father Figure", which itself was Leitch's second choice after the 1986 release "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin.[20]

Other songs in the film, but not included in the soundtrack:[20]

Release

In May 2015, Focus Features acquired distribution rights to the film.[21] It was initially scheduled to be released on August 11, 2017,[22] before being moved up to July 28, 2017.[23] The film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest on March 12, 2017.[24]

Reception

Box office

Atomic Blonde grossed $51.7 million in the United States and Canada and $48.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $100 million, against a production budget of $30 million.

In North America, Atomic Blonde was projected to gross around $20 million from 3,304 theaters during its first weekend.[25] It grossed $1.52 million from Thursday night previews at 2,685 theaters.[26] After making $7.1 million on its first day (including previews), the film went on to open to $18.3 million, finishing fourth at the box office, behind Dunkirk, The Emoji Movie and Girls Trip.[27] In its second weekend the film dropped 55% to $8.2 million, finishing seventh at the box office.[28] It made $4.5 million in its third week and $2.2 million in its fourth, finishing 10th and 13th at the box office, respectively.[29]

Critical response

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 79% based on 367 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Atomic Blonde gets enough mileage out of its stylish action sequences – and ever-magnetic star – to make up for a narrative that's somewhat less hard-hitting than its protagonist."[30] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on reviews from 50 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[31] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[27]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, saying: "Borrow from Bourne and Bond. Rinse and repeat. This is the recipe for the quite ridiculous, ultra-violent and deliriously entertaining Atomic Blonde, a slick vehicle for the magnetic, badass charms of Charlize Theron, who is now officially an A-list action star on the strength of this film and ."[32] Writing for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers praised the cast and fight scenes, giving it 3 stars out of 4 and saying, "It's the fight scenes that count – and they're astonishingly good, from a mano-a-mano beatdown involving Theron's stiletto heel and a thug's jugular vein to a climactic free-for-all in a swanky hotel suite where 99 Luftballons scores every gunshot and gut-punch."[33]

Jake Coyle of the Associated Press gave the film 2/4 stars, calling it "largely a vacant, hyper-stylistic romp that trades on the thick Cold War atmosphere of far better films".[34]

Future

Sequel

In July 2017, Leitch expressed a desire to develop a sequel film to Atomic Blonde, saying that the project is dependent on the first film's success.[35] In May 2018, Theron confirmed that a sequel was in active development.[36] [37] By July 2019, Leitch announced that the project is in development as a production deal with a streaming service company, while the filmmaker's wife Kelly McCormick, will return as producer.[38] By April 2020, it was announced the film was in development as a Netflix exclusive film, while Theron will also be a producer.[39]

Potential crossover with John Wick

In July 2017, Leitch was asked about the potential of a crossover film featuring Atomic Blonde and the John Wick franchise. Leitch directed the former, after previously co-directing the first John Wick film. The filmmaker stated that it sounded like a great idea.[40]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Atomic Blonde. SXSW Schedule. South by Southwest. February 22, 2017. August 11, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170811011020/http://schedule.sxsw.com/2017/films/71822. live.
  2. Web site: Atomic Blonde. IMDb. Box Office Mojo. November 13, 2019. November 13, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191113161222/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2406566/. live.
  3. Web site: Atomic Blonde Review. Welch. Alex. July 17, 2017. IGN. Ziff Davis. July 29, 2017. July 27, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170727060204/http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/07/17/atomic-blonde-review. live.
  4. News: 'Atomic Blonde': Film Review SXSW 2017. The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. July 29, 2017. John. DeFore. March 12, 2017. July 31, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170731052436/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/atomic-blonde-review-985469. live.
  5. News: Fleming. Mike Jr.. Focus Pre-Empts N.A. Rights To 'The Coldest City;' Charlize Theron To Star, 'John Wick's David Leitch & Chad Stahelski Directing: Cannes. October 17, 2015. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. May 9, 2015. June 16, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180616053327/https://deadline.com/2015/05/charlize-theron-the-coldest-city-focus-features-cannes-1201423704/. live.
  6. Web site: Setoodeh. Ramin. How Charlize Theron Got Ripped, Bruised (and Naked!) for 'Atomic Blonde'. Variety. Penske Business Media. July 11, 2017. August 3, 2017. August 3, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170803133322/http://variety.com/2017/film/features/charlize-theron-atomic-blonde-female-action-stars-1202489664/. live.
  7. Web site: Welch. Alex. John Wick Inspired Charlize Theron to Make Atomic Blonde. August 2, 2017. Screen Rant. August 4, 2017. August 4, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170804113246/http://screenrant.com/atomic-blonde-charlize-theron-john-wick/. live.
  8. News: Sneider. Jeff. David Leitch Leaves 'John Wick 2' to Direct Charlize Theron Spy Movie 'The Coldest City'. October 17, 2015. TheWrap. October 2, 2015. March 26, 2017. https://archive.today/20170326153206/http://www.thewrap.com/david-leitch-leaves-john-wick-2-to-direct-spy-movie-the-coldest-city/. live.
  9. Web site: Charlize Theron Would 'Love to' Do a Prequel to 'Mad Max: Fury Road'. Ramin. Setoodeh. July 11, 2017. Variety. Penske Business Media. August 22, 2018. October 11, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181011191758/https://variety.com/2017/film/news/mad-max-fury-road-prequel-charlize-theron-1202491226/. live.
  10. Sperling. Nicole. Charlize Theron breaks down her steamy love affair in Atomic Blonde. Entertainment Weekly. Time. April 26, 2017. July 29, 2017. July 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170729092001/http://ew.com/movies/2017/04/26/charlize-theron-breaks-down-her-steamy-love-affair-in-atomic-blonde/. live.
  11. News: Kroll. Justin. James McAvoy to Join Charlize Theron in Focus' 'Coldest City'. October 17, 2015. Variety. Penske Business Media. October 16, 2015. October 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151018174643/http://variety.com/2015/film/news/james-mcavoy-charlize-theron-coldest-city-1201619971/. live.
  12. News: Busch. Anita. John Goodman In Talks To Join 'Coldest City'. November 12, 2015. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. November 2, 2015. November 7, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151107021054/http://deadline.com/2015/11/john-goodman-talks-the-coldest-city-charlize-theron-james-macavoy-1201604138/. live.
  13. Web site: Branch. Kathryn. Charlize Theron on Fighting Men Twice Her Size in a Blonde Bob and 6-Inch Heels. Vogue. Condé Nast. July 29, 2017. July 26, 2017. July 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170729100047/http://www.vogue.com/article/charlize-theron-blonde-bob-atomic-blonde-movie-spy. live.
  14. Web site: N'Duke. Amanda. 'Atomic Blonde' Director: "I Really Wanted To Try Some Provocative Things With Action" – SXSW. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. March 13, 2017. July 29, 2017. July 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170729095852/http://deadline.com/2017/03/atomic-blonde-david-leitch-charlize-theron-sxsw-1202042113/. live.
  15. Web site: Charlize Theron Cracked 2 Teeth and Bruised a Rib Training for Atomic Blonde . Reynolds . Megan . . . July 11, 2017 . December 4, 2017 . September 13, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170913012120/http://jezebel.com/charlize-theron-cracked-2-teeth-and-bruised-a-rib-train-1796810062 . live .
  16. Web site: Mallenbaum. Carly. Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves: Action-movie sparring partners?. USA Today. Gannett Company. July 26, 2017. July 29, 2017. July 27, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170727040727/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2017/07/26/charlize-theron-and-keanu-reeves-action-movie-sparring-partners/511063001/. live.
  17. News: On the Set for 12/4/15: Gal Gadot Grabs Her Lasso for 'Wonder Woman', Brad Pitt Wraps 'War Machine', 'Resident Evil' Team Finish Final Chapter. December 6, 2015. SSN Insider. SSN Insider Staff. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151206173019/http://www.ssninsider.com/on-the-set-for-12415-gal-gadot-grabs-her-lasso-for-wonder-woman-brad-pitt-wraps-war-machine-resident-evil-team-finish-final-chapter/. 2015-12-06. December 4, 2015.
  18. Web site: White. Caitlin. How 'Atomic Blonde' Director David Leitch Used Music To Turn A Stuffy Cold War Film Into A Spy Thriller. Uproxx. July 17, 2017. July 29, 2017. July 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170729111312/http://uproxx.com/music/atomic-blonde-david-leitch-director-interview/. live.
  19. Web site: Interview: Atomic Blonde & Deadpool 2 Director David Leitch . Deckelmeier . Joe . . July 28, 2017 . July 29, 2017 . July 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170728181943/http://screenrant.com/atomic-blonde-director-david-leitch-interview/ . live .
  20. Web site: The dealmaking to pull off the 1980s-soaked 'Atomic Blonde' soundtrack was as intense as the fight scenes. Business Insider. August 22, 2018. July 31, 2017. Jason. Guerrasio. Insider. December 4, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171204114505/http://www.businessinsider.com/atomic-blonde-1980-soundtrack-2017-7. live.
  21. Web site: Cannes: Charlize Theron's Spy Thriller 'Coldest City' Bought by Focus. Variety. Penske Business Media. Dave. McNary. May 19, 2015. June 10, 2016. August 5, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160805112003/http://variety.com/2015/film/news/cannes-charlize-therons-spy-thriller-coldest-city-bought-by-focus-1201499754/. live.
  22. Charlize Theron and James McAvoy thriller The Coldest City gets release date. Entertainment Weekly. Time. Evan. Slead. June 9, 2016. June 10, 2016. June 11, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160611145004/http://www.ew.com/article/2016/06/09/charlize-theron-james-mcavoy-coldest-city-release-date. live.
  23. Web site: Charlize Theron Spy Thriller 'The Coldest City' Moves Up To July – Update. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Anthony. D'Alessandro. November 7, 2016. November 14, 2016. November 15, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161115045428/http://deadline.com/2016/11/charlize-theron-the-coldest-city-focus-features-opening-day-1201770227/. live.
  24. Web site: Charlize Theron MI6 Movie 'The Coldest City' Retitled & Will Debut At SXSW. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Anthony. D'Alessandro. February 22, 2017. February 22, 2017. February 23, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170223211842/http://deadline.com/2017/02/charlize-theron-atomic-blonde-the-coldest-city-title-change-sxsw-premiere-1201942727/. live.
  25. Web site: Will 'Dunkirk' Stay Afloat Against 'Atomic Blonde,' 'Emoji Movie' at Box Office This Weekend?. Jeremy. Fuster. TheWrap. July 25, 2017. July 26, 2017. July 25, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170725235740/https://www.thewrap.com/dunkirk-atomic-blonde-emoji-movie-box-office/. live.
  26. Web site: Atomic Blonde' Delivers $1.52M in Thursday Previews; 'Emoji' with $900k. IMDb. Brad. Brevet. August 23, 2018. Box Office Mojo. July 28, 2017. June 23, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180623033131/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4309&p=.htm. live.
  27. Web site: 'Dunkirk' Marches Ahead Of 'Emoji Movie' For Top Spot With $28M+. July 30, 2017. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Anthony. D'Alessandro. July 31, 2017. July 30, 2017. https://archive.today/20170730162541/http://deadline.com/2017/07/atomic-blonde-dunkirk-emoji-movie-weekend-box-office-openings-1202138047/. live.
  28. Web site: 'The Dark Tower' Opens To $18M+ In Diverse Marketplace: Was The Decade-Plus Battle To The Screen Worth It?. August 5, 2017. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Anthony. D'Alessandro. August 6, 2017. August 6, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170806060156/http://deadline.com/2017/08/the-dark-tower-detroit-kidnap-dunkirk-weekend-box-office-opening-1202142448/. live.
  29. Web site: 'Hitman's Bodyguard' Flexes Muscle With $21M+ Opening During Sleepy Summer Weekend. Anthony. D'Alessandro. Deadline Hollywood. August 20, 2017. August 20, 2017. August 21, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170821002339/http://deadline.com/2017/08/hitmans-bodyguard-logan-lucky-annabelle-creation-august-box-office-opening-1202152509/. live.
  30. Web site: Atomic Blonde (2017). Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. November 4, 2022. March 26, 2017. https://archive.today/20170326154531/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atomic_blonde_2017. live.
  31. Web site: Atomic Blonde Reviews . . . September 5, 2017 . September 8, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170908071330/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/atomic-blonde/critic-reviews . live .
  32. News: Roeper . Richard . Richard Roeper . July 24, 2017 . Charlize Theron joins action's top echelon with slick 'Atomic Blonde' . . July 27, 2017 . August 3, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170803074238/http://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/charlize-theron-joins-actions-top-echelon-with-slick-atomic-blonde/ . live .
  33. Travers . Peter . Peter Travers . July 26, 2017 . 'Atomic Blonde' Review: Charlize Theron Literally Kicks Ass in 1980s Spy Thriller . . July 27, 2017 . July 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170728041447/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/peter-travers-atomic-blonde-is-bruising-poetry-in-motion-w493587 . live .
  34. News: Coyle . Jake . July 25, 2017 . Review: In 'Atomic Blonde,' Theron heats up the Cold War . . July 28, 2017 . November 7, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171107005918/https://apnews.com/9430f5b7e4964b4999148ab07fb163a9/Review:-In-'Atomic-Blonde,'-Theron-heats-up-the-Cold-War . live .
  35. Web site: Atomic Blonde Director Hopes for Sequel. Screen Rant. 25 July 2017. 1 August 2019. 1 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190801212134/https://screenrant.com/atomic-blonde-movie-sequel-charlize-theron/. live.
  36. Web site: Charlize Theron Confirms 'Atomic Blonde 2' On 'Watch What Happens Live'. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. May 7, 2018. Dino-Ray. Ramos. May 8, 2018. May 8, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180508074856/http://deadline.com/2018/05/charlize-theron-atomic-blonde-2-watch-what-happens-live-bravo-1202384673/. live.
  37. Web site: Charlize Theron on Plans for 'Atomic Blonde' Sequel and Growing up as a 'Privileged White Person'. 11 April 2018. 1 August 2019. 1 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190801212136/https://www.indiewire.com/2018/04/charlize-theron-sffilm-tribute-tully-fat-1201950638/. live.
  38. Web site: 'Atomic Blonde 2' May Get Made by a Streaming Service, Says Director David Leitch. August 2019. 2019-08-01. 2019-08-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20190801212134/https://www.slashfilm.com/atomic-blonde-2/. live.
  39. Web site: 'Atomic Blonde 2' In Early Development At Netflix (EXCLUSIVE). Discussing Film. April 9, 2020. April 9, 2020. April 9, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200409215010/https://discussingfilm.net/2020/04/09/atomic-blonde-2-in-early-development-at-netflix-exclusive/. live.
  40. News: Atomic Blonde Director Discusses John Wick Crossover. Kennedy. Michael. Screen Rant. July 25, 2017. October 18, 2018. July 7, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180707143521/https://screenrant.com/atomic-blonde-john-wick-crossover/. live.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Atomic Blonde".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.