RED SPARROW
US, 2018, 140 minutes, Colour.
Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise? Parker, Ciaran Hinds, Joely Richardson, Bill Camp, Jeremy Irons, Thekla Reuten, Douglas Hodge.
Directed by Francis Lawrence.
Tinker, Taylor, Ballerina, Spy.
While the Cold War may well be over, there is still plenty of cold war everywhere, not least between Russia and the United States – witness the inquiries into the Russian connections for the Trump election campaign; witness the number of Russian diplomats murdered in the United Kingdom over the last decade…
While red might be obvious for Russia, who are the sparrows? According to the scenario, specially chosen young men and women undertake a rigorous training to become seductive spies. Part of their skills is to recognise the strengths and weaknesses in those they target, responding to the weaknesses, particularly sexual weaknesses. And the training is fairly explicit.
Dominica, a young Russian ballerina, a talented performer at the Bolshoi, suffers a leg-breaking accident and cannot dance any more. This actioner is a star vehicle for Jennifer Lawrence. Her uncle is a top official in whatever is the equivalent these days of the KGB. He traps her into an assassination situation – for which she is willing because she has a very sick mother at home to whom she is devoted. The Bolshoi is terminating the medical help for her mother. After the assassination, because she is a witness, her options are to be eliminated or to become a sparrow.
The sparrow training sessions are very striking because the lecturer and tutor is played by Charlotte Rampling at her commanding best.
Alongside the introduction to Dominica, the film introduces a CIA agent in Moscow, Nash, played by Joel Edgerton. He compromises a mission to protect his contact and is moved back to the United States. Because his contact seems to trust only him, he gets permission to return to Hungary to initiate contacts again. At the same time, Russian authorities decide that he would be a rather easy target for Dominica to seduce and get information from.
There are always tensions. We know that there is going to be some ambiguity, and there is. While Dominica does her job, she still resents the hold that the officials have over her and, of course, the temptation is for her to be a double agent, working for Nash and his associates, especially in connection with an American Senator’s aide who is prepared to hand over sensitive discs.
One of the interesting things about this film is that it is full of cameos from a great number of strong character and actors from Jeremy irons, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ciaran Hinds, Mary Louise Parker, Joely Richardson.
In the past, there have always been sequences in spy stories with the ways “that we can make you talk�. There are some very violent ones in this film and one that will make even the hardened reviewer shudder, a torture method of removing skin, layer by layer, with a couple of close-ups.
Naturally, in this world of overt operations covert operations, double dealings and betrayal, the ending is not quite as anticipated.
The film was directed by Francis Lawrence who directed Jennifer Lawrence in several of the Hunger Games films.
For those in need of a regular dose of spy thrillers, this might be the one for the time being.
1. The title? Contemporary Russian agents? The focus on Russia, the Communist background? The symbolism of sparrows?
2. Moscow, the 21st century, the city, views, homes and apartments? The Bolshoi Ballet, the theatre, the offices? Government offices? The training centre? Spartan? Hotels and luxury? The contrast with the US, Washington? The American embassies, Hungary, hotels and apartments, the streets? The scenes in London, hotels, the roads, Heathrow? The European atmosphere?
3. The musical score, the ballet music, the classes? Contemporary themes?
4. The introduction to Dominika, to Nash? Intercutting the two? To bring them together?
5. Dominika, Russian, her age, country, patriotic, her caring concern for her mother? The Bolshoi assistance for her mother? The story of her father, her relationship with her uncle? Her dancing, her reputation, performance, the audience response, photos with her? The performance, the accident – and deliberate? In hospital, recovery, her limp, her anger? Her vengeance on her partner and her rival? The injuries?
6. Her uncle, his work, the recording of the betrayal by the dancers, his using force, Dominika following in his footsteps, the bashing of the dancers? The phone calls?
7. Dominika and her options? Her being forced to go to the Sparrows? The stern officer in charge, her presence, manner? Philosophy of training, the amoral stances, targeting of victims, understanding them, their weaknesses, especially sexual, understanding their own estimation of themselves? The issues of orders, obeying, Dominika standing her ground? Refusing to strip? The man stripping? Sexual issues, jealous young man, setting Dominika up on the table, the prisoner and his sexual addiction? The young man impotent? Wanting power? The other members of the group, men and women, their age, training, the girl and her homophobia, the prisoner anal sex?
8. The scenes with the authorities, Dominika’s uncle, the heads of the Politburo, officials, the leader, the deference to the President talking with him? The surveillance? The decisions?
9. Dominika’s task, her dress, going to the hotel, in the bar, the setup, the official, alure, going to the room, the sexual advances, the coming of the killer, slitting the throat, her being rescued, her being a witness, death or further assignments?
10. The motivations of the different authorities, secrecy, the end of the Cold War era but the totalitarian presuppositions? The state, loyalty, the hold over individuals, the uncle and the issue of Dominika’s care for her mother, financial support or not?
11. Nash, American, the opening with his codes, the contact, the meeting in the park, the exchange, witnessed, his being mistaken for a drug dealer, his firing the shots? The pursuit? Going to the embassy, the return to the United States, his being under surveillance? The discussions in America, the Russian contact, Nash asking to go to Hungary?
12. Dominika assigned to Nash? The dossier, his weaknesses? His apartment, ingratiating herself? Dominika installed in Budapest? Sharing the apartment with the other agent? The two in their work, the jealousy? The flatmate and her interrogation – and her being murdered in the bath? The local Russian officer, the office, his reactions, wanting to control?
13. Nash, his controls, the meeting, his swimming, encountering Dominika, the attraction, the contact, the relationship?
14. Dominika’s uncle, his visit, his personality, the sexual approach to her and memories of the past? Dominika and her plans for vengeance?
15. The sexual relationship with Nash, denying this to the authorities? The setup of the aide to the senator, going to London, the visit, the disks, copying them, tension in timing? The aide, her character, drinking, the money, the agents following her, the accident on the streets?
16. The official killer, his presence and threats?
17. The meeting with Ivan, his frank talk with Dominika, his being the mole, his motivations?
18. Dominika, her return to Russia, her being tortured, the sadism of the torture, the detail? The refusal to give information?
19. The killer, the return to Budapest, with Nash, the grim sequences of the peeling of the skin? Dominika seeming to agree, her turning the tables, rescuing Nash?
20. Ivan, organising behind-the-scenes? With Dominika? The name of the traitor, the chief official and his agreement to the tactic? The exchange – and the revelation that it was the uncle? His being shot?
21. Dominika, her return, the official acclaim, her abilities as a spy, as a Sparrow? The officials and the audience, her being promoted?
22. Dominika, her mother, getting the care for her mother that she wanted?
23. The world of John Le Carre, familiar to audiences – a more contemporary version?
