Why Charlize Theron's $100M Spy Movie Gets High Accurate Rating From Expert (Despite Loads Of Flaws): "Spy World Is About F--king With The Enemy"

Oct 24, 2024

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A former double agent breaks down the 2017 Charlize Theron spy film Atomic Blonde, giving the movie a high score for its accuracy despite some glaring flaws. The film, which also stars James McAvoy and John Goodman, follows Lorraine Broughton (Theron), an elite spy in MI6 who travels into the heart of Berlin to retrieve a priceless dossier and take down a ruthless espionage ring. Once there, she teams up with an embedded station chief to navigate her way through a deadly game of spies.

In a video for Insider, former FBI agent Naveed Jamali, who also worked for and against the Russian military intelligence agency the GRU, gave Atomic Blonde a 9/10 for its accuracy. Jamali noted that the film depicted Broughton's ability to gain the trust of those she's working against realistically, though he did state that he found Broughton's use of disguises and a second language to be a bit unnecessary. Here's what he had to say about Atomic Blonde:

One of the biggest things that a double agent has to do is gain trust of whoever they're allegedly working for. And once they gain trust, there's a lot of things that you can do in terms of manipulation. You can pass disinformation. You can do redirection… I'm gonna give that a 9. And I'll tell you why. The ending? All of spy world is about f***ing with the enemy. And this idea that Charlize Theron is in a plane and she just screwed over the Brits and the Russians is like the chef's kiss of what any intelligence service is looking to do.

Atomic Blonde was based on the 2012 graphic novel The Coldest City by Antony Johnston. Directed by David Leitch, who was an uncredited co-director and producer on the first John Wick, the film was a box office success, earning $100 million worldwide against a budget of $30 million. It also received favorable reviews from critics and audiences, earning a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Theron's prowess as an action lead and the choreography of the fight scenes cited as reasons for praise.

Should a sequel ever happen, Atomic Blonde could easily become a franchise of its own thanks to its aforementioned strengths.

That Atomic Blonde got so much right about being a spy likely helped it resonate with viewers and critics. Not only did it provide thrilling action, it told a pretty grounded story that stands out among the more outlandish espionage stories Hollywood is fond of. In 2020, it was reported that an Atomic Blonde 2 was in development at Netflix, with both Leitch and Theron on board to return. However, there have been few updates since, and its status is currently unclear. Should a sequel ever happen, Atomic Blonde could easily become a franchise of its own thanks to its aforementioned strengths.

Atomic Blonde provides a very gratifying ending, and based on Jamali's rating, its accuracy is a big part of why it works. Suspension of disbelief can only take you so far as a viewer, and in a space like the spy genre, an audience wants a certain amount of realism in order to stay invested in the film. Atomic Blonde has that when it comes to several elements while still providing an action-packed and gripping story. That is why it remains one of the stronger spy movies in recent years.

Source: Insider

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Based on a graphic novel, Atomic Blonde stars Charlize Theron as Lorraine Broughton, an MI6 agent who is attempting to locate a sensitive list of double agent spies before it is smuggled from East to West Germany, just before the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Theron is joined by a cast that includes James McAvoy, Sofia Boutella, and John Goodman.

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