Red Sparrow (Review)

Red Sparrow is An Overly Sexualized Thriller, Heavy on the Sex but Not on Thrills.

I thought that March was supposed to come in like a lion? Because the new movies this week certainly didn’t come roaring into theaters. While Red Sparrow isn’t nearly as bad as Death Wish, it fails to leave any lasting impression at all. Despite all the espionage and “intrigue,” Red Sparrow is just kind of “meh.”

I’ll admit that I was one of those guys how had a big crush on Jennifer Lawrence a few years ago. She was talented, beautiful, and even ate pizza, just like me. However, I feel like overexposure to the actress has taken away her edge. After all, it seems like she has a new movie coming out every six months. Her performance in Red Sparrow is just what you’d expect of the Academy Award-winning actress, but it doesn’t stand out as memorable. In fact, her stoic portrayal of the character in the film makes her almost mundane, which is unfortunate, to say the least. Opposite her is Joel Edgerton, who has been experiencing quite a revival since appearing in Bright. His character certainly makes up for the aloofness of Lawrence as he tends to wear his emotions on the sleeve to a point that makes him almost predictable.

Red Sparrow is an espionage movie that seems obsessed with sexuality. Lawrence’s character is a former ballerina who suffers an accident and her only hope to provide for her sick mother is being sent to become a Sparrow. Sparrows are essentially spies who specialize in the old honeypot ploy, meaning they seduce their targets. Needless to say, the film emphasizes this aspect of her character with plenty of nudity and sex. While it never crosses into gratuitous, it feels like Red Sparrow is using it for shock value. Especially given the cold and callous nature used to train the Sparrows. It’s hard not to see a correlation between sex and violence though given all that Lawrence’s character goes through over the course of Red Sparrow. Honestly, I found some of the scenes of violence more uncomfortable than the scenes in which sex is used for manipulation.

The plot for Red Sparrow is a bit too convoluted for its own good. There are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to this spy thriller, and unfortunately, that undermines the “thriller” aspect of it. It’s not particularly difficult to follow, but it feels like it’s purposely drawing things out, which probably explains the two-plus hour runtime. Needless to say, Red Sparrow has a nasty habit of dragging and never manages to raise the stakes enough to make up for it by the end of the movie. Instead, it simply meanders through its story, taking its sweet time to let the audience stew in it’s oversexualized exploits.

I found it rather amusing that Francis Lawrence was behind Red Sparrow, given that he helmed many of the Hunger Game movies that also starred Jennifer Lawrence. This though is a far cry from those action-packed, overly sentimental young adult films. That might be why Red Sparrow seemed a little off at certain parts, specifically the scenes depicting content that definitely would never make it into a PG-13 movie. I’m certainly not going to criticize either Lawrence for their work on Red Sparrow, as it’s a competent movie, but it seems to be lacking the maturity that the subject matter calls for.

In theory, Red Sparrow is a thoroughly calculated film. In execution, though it feels over thought and struggles under the weight of its plot. It’s not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it lacks a hook. It never really manages to grab the audience and just simply unfolds. There’s no emotional investment in the characters or the story overall, which is probably a result of its cliched Russian stoicism. There are plenty of moments that should capture the audience, but Lawrence’s character doesn’t drop her guard long enough for us to connect with her. As a result, Red Sparrow is achingly mediocre.