THE RHYTHM SECTION
UK/US, 2020, 109 minutes, Colour.
Blake Lively, Jude Law, Sterling K.Brown, Richard Brake, Raza Jaffrey, Geoff Bell.
Directed by Reed Marano.
The Rhythm Section is a contemporary espionage story, a film about an agent with a license to kill. Of particular interest is the fact that the film was produced by the 007 team, Michael Wilson and Barbara broccoli. Was a series intended?
Blake Lively plays a young woman, Stephanie, from an affectionate family, who changed her plans for travel, her parents and brother and sister all being killed in a plane crash – and the information that a bomb was aboard. (Parallels with the plane of Malaysian airlines shot down over the Ukrainian in 2014.)
Stephanie is seen at the opening, a gun, threatening a victim in Tangier – and the action going back eight months, seeing her drug-adult, in prostitution in London. She is approached by an agent for recruiting, his having investigated her link to the crash at her parents. He is killed and she travels to Scotland to encounter retired agent, tough and merciless, played by Jude Law. He challenges her, trains her, then send her out on mission.
It is somewhat surprising to find that she is ready for 007-style mission after eight months of training. She has various disguises, weeks, and eventually takes on the persona of a dead agent. She has various commissions, is partially successful, find she cannot go through with ultimate kills. She goes to Spain, there are car chases, she goes to Marseille to confront one of the chief suspects, she takes on a mission in New York but again is unable to go through with it.
She is connected with an ambiguous agent in Spain, played by Sterling K Brown, who gives her various commissions – but she discovers the truth about him for a final challenge.
Was directed by cinematographer/director, Reed Marano, who won awards for her work on The Handmaid’s Tale.
Perhaps the producible hoping for a series. However, The Rhythm Section was not so popular at the box office and the question could be raised as to whether Blake Lively could sustain a franchise along the lines of 007.
1. Espionage film? Agents, license to kill? World terrorism? Bombs on planes? Intelligence agencies investigations, hits?
2. The range of settings, worldwide? The UK, Spain, Tangier, New York? The musical score?
3. The title, Boyd’s explanation? Interior harmony, heart and breathing, parallels to the orchestra?
4. The opening, Tangier, the woman with the gun, going back eight months?
5. Stephanie, her place in the home, the font relationship with her parents, brother and sister, the photos? Recurring for her memory?
6. Stephanie, in London, drugs, prostitution, destitute? The visit from Proctor? Recruiting her? Her going to visit him? His explanations? The walls and photos, agencies and investigations? Responsibility for the bomb and placing it? Stephanie in the University cafe, gazing at the man, her bag disappearing, her return to Proctor’s apartment, his death? The information in the code?
7. Her travelling to Scotland, the encounter with Boyd? His background, agencies, espionage? His confronting her? Training her? The challenges, the running and exercise, the rhythm section, challenge to swim in icy water, the physical fights, shooting practice? Sending her out on mission?
8. After eight months, Stephanie and the training, her abilities, limitations? Her disguises, her weeks, and make up? The tracking down of information about those responsible?
9. The visit to Spain, the contact with Sarah, his background, presence in Spain, business deals? The setting up of leads, Stephanie and the confrontation, the fight, the car Chase and the dangers? Her going to New York, setting herself up, the target and his background, the sexual encounter, her inability to kill him? His leaving the early apartment, in the car, the explosion, his children in the car? Boyd saying he had to live with this?
10. The visit to Marseille, the confrontation with the terrorists, the argument, the fight, his death?
11. The return to Spain, the indications of the sexual relationship between Stephanie and Sarah, his role in the bomb placement, her embracing him, injecting him, his death?
12. The return to England, the encounter with Boyd, her saying she could not continue with the killings? Her future?
