Film Review: Red Sparrow (2018)

Synopsis:

Russian agent Dominika Egorova who falls in love to CIA agent Nate Nash.

Dominika Egorova was Russian ballerina, she had accident which caused ending to her ballet career. Later, she was approaced by her uncle Ivan, who works in Russian Intelegence. Ivan asked her to seduce Dimitry Ustinov. She need to replace his phone with state-provided phone, in exchange her mother medical bills will be covered. While Dimitry raped her, Dimitry was killed by Simyonov. Later, Ivan her uncle told her that he was intented to kill Dimitry Ustinov but there wold be no witness, he threat Dominika to work with Russian Intelligence or be executed.

Nate Nash is CIA agent operated in Moscow. While meet an asset in Gorky Park, Nash need to create diversion to help his asset named Marble to escape from detection. He later assigned in Budapest to regain contact with Marble.

Dominika is sent to Russian operative train school. She is trained to become sparrow, learning how to seduce her target. Dominika is assigned to Budapest to gain trust from Nash and reveal the identity of Marble.

After arrived at Budapest, Dominika lived with Martha, another sparrow. Dominika started make contacts with Nash. In the process, Dominika learnt that Martha had contact with Stephanie Boucher, a staff who works for US senator. Martha is assigned to gain information from Boucher. Dominika reveal this to her uncle Ivan during his visit and this makes Martha angry. Later, Dominika found Martha is brutally murdered by Simyonov to warn Dominika to protect Russian secrets.

Dominika offers her service to be double agent for CIA. Dominika is continued with Martha' task to meet Boucher and exchanged the supplied information for CIA-floppy disks. CIA operatives are sloppy while monitoring and approaching Boucher, which makes Boucher agitated and run to traffic, getting killed.  Russian intelegence realize that Dominika has compromised their task with Boucher, they sent Dominika back to Russia to be tortured and interrogated. She repeatedly denied compromising Boucher and she convinced Ivan that she is now can be credited to liase with American as she is tortured but she did not reveal any information. She is later back to Budapest and meet Nash, she told him to help her with her mother to go to America.

She spent the night with Nash and wake up in the middle of night to find out that Nash's been tortured by Simyonov to get Marble' true identity. She at first work together with Simyonov but later killed the Russian operative to save Nash. At the hospital General Vladimir Korchnoi revealed that he is Marble. He offered Dominika to reveal this secret to her uncle Ivan to get the high-ranking position in order to replace him as Marble and to keep contact with CIA. Yet, when contacting her superiors to reveal the identity of the mole, she framed her uncle Ivan rather than betray Korchnoi. Ivan is killed by Russian side. Dominika get promoted.

Back home in Russia, while living with her mother, Dominika received phone calls from unknown person who played ballet music that she had listened during her affair with Nash.

Review:

I find this film is disturbing with sadistic torturing and unnecessary sexual scenes. Maybe I am not really into Russian-American spy agent life. I have to admit Jennifer Lawrence give her best performance in this film. She is really stand out from her previous characters in any film. I praised her bold acting to expand her sexual appeal in this film.

As a sparrow, Dominika is trained sexually and mentally to seduce her targets but I find that Dominika did not really used that "skill" to perform her assignments. When she's asked the bank staff to open bank account, she'd only asked him for a coffee and later when Martha asked about her approaches with Nash, Dominika revealed that Nash wasn't that "easy' type to be seduced. So I think basically Dominika used her brain more than her sexual appeal.

Based on the ending that Dominika is framed Ivan her uncle is because she feel hatred towards him. She felt because of him, she trapped in Intellegence dark world. Somehow I still confused why she preferred framed her own uncle to save General Korchnoi. I mean because of Ivan, Dominika is saved during her last torturing, the gunshoot threats as final death sentence. I believed some part of it, Dominika is saved because her uncle Ivan is working with Russian Intelligence. Well maybe she still feel that her uncle Ivan is the root of her own problems now. If her uncle helps her mother' medical bills sincerely without asking troublesome tasks, she won't ever join the Russian Intelligence. Thus she framed Ivan and get promoted in her career.

Basically, Dominika preferred to lived in Russia, in the country that she is praised for her loyalty and her work, despite her own heart. Truthfully said, she denied many things in her heart, like she betrayed Russian to help America (CIA). She is double agent for both Russia and America. Yet she preffered to stay in Russia, the country which praised her for her work, despite her betrayal.

This film has good plot and pretty intense. If you liked the secret agent life or Jennifer Lawrence' fans, I recommend this film for you.

Rating: 7.3/10


Best regards,


~Selene.