- OUT ON DVD THIS MONTH - FREE FIRE
ATOMIC BLONDE
“A female action star? Tat’s outrageous!” “It’s James Bond, not Jane Blonde!” “It’s John Wick, not Joan, er… No-Dick!” Online misogynists might be blissful in their own ignorance, but to the rest of us their piss-poor ability to come up with insults is only matched by their inexplicable ability to think that anything that has previously been the sole property of humans with testicles, will be ruined as soon as the arena is opened up to humans with ovaries. Well, they’re going to hate this more than a time traveller in a dress then, because David Leitch, the guy that directed most of the fight sequences in John Wick, has decided to smash that particular glass ceiling. Presumably with someone’s face. And a chair.
Atomic Blonde is the story of Lorraine Broughton: a female undercover MI6 agent sent to Berlin during the Cold war to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and …
well, y’know the drill. Double agents, they’re probably going to be set up, presumably by an ex-colleague – ooh, maybe the dead agent’s not dead! Tat’s not the point, I mean this is a proper action movie, and the plot is never the point. It’s like the plate that your fist pie is served on. Te Rizla that holds together your spliff of knives, bullets, and martial arts. So let’s talk about that.
So, who would you pick if you wanted a lady who can throw down with the best of the boys? Someone who can believably put foot to ass whilst still looking good (hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day)? I’d pick Charlize “Fury Road” Teron. Which is exactly what our Dave has done, and good lord/lady, I applaud his choice. Charlize has endured months of training, bruising, and cracked teeth to prepare for one of the most physically gruelling film roles ever. Not “ever made for a woman”, just “ever” ever. She had eight personal trainers, and even trained alongside Keanu Reeves who was training for John Wick 2 at the time. Fuck me, imagine that. John and Lorraine – Jorraine, if you will. Now that’s a power-couple I’d like to see in action.
SMILEY 22 / AUG/SEPT 2017 /
OUTLINEONLINE.CO.UK
Ben Wheatley isn’t an easy director to pin down - from the dark comedy of Sightseers, to the panic inducing intensity of Kill List and the full on insanity of High-Rise, his six films so far have all been wildly different. One thing is pretty much guaranteed though, there will be blood.
Free Fire is set in 1970s USA. I needn’t be more specific than that as the entire film takes place inside a single abandoned warehouse. Irish gangsters Chris (Cillian Murphy) and Frank (Michael Smiley) meet with South African arms dealer Vernon (Sharlto Copley) in a deal set up by Americans Ord (Armie Hammer) and Justine (Brie Larson). With tension and testosterone running high it all goes south pretty quickly and becomes a game of survival as both sides refuse to back down.
Drawing obvious inspiration from Sam Peckinpah and Martin Scorsese, Free Fire is essentially an 80 minute shootout with about 10 minutes of set up. Such an idea would fail miserably if it didn’t back itself up with a killer script. Luckily, Wheatley’s
partner and long-term collaborator Amy Jump has delivered dialogue that pings and fizzes just as much as the bullets ricocheting around on screen.
Free Fire came under a certain amount of criticism for not being as intense or original as some of the director’s earlier work, but considering his ability and desire to dance so deftly between genres, that criticism seems wholly unfair. Free Fire is Wheatley’s accessible action movie, and the fact that he’s made it on a fraction of the budget, maintaining the same indie sensibilities of his earlier work is something that should be applauded. Wickedly funny and hilariously violent, I can’t wait to see what he does next.
DREW
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