Red Sparrow

Bad wigs and zipless torture porn: Red Sparrow

Francis Lawrence's Red Sparrow is a forgettable spy thriller that doesn't thrill. A star vehicle for Jennifer Lawrence, Red Sparrow tells the tale of a Russian ballerina who, after a career ending injury, is forced to enter a "Sparrow School" where she is trained in the arts of espionage and seduction. The plot is the usual eyewash of double crosses and lacy underthings. Lawrence helmed two of the Hunger Games with Ms. Lawrence and their rapport and the commercial success of those projects must be the reason for his hiring because he has yet to make an even halfway satisfying film. His botch of Water for Elephants was a particularly egregious missed opportunity. There are a host of talented actors in Red Sparrow, but, except for Mary Louise Parker's drunken satrap, no interesting characterizations emerge. Ms. Lawrence's warmth remains submerged because her character has to forge a steely persona for self preservation. What seems like a stretch for Ms. Lawrence, her performance is OK, is really miscasting. Since JLaw is sexually assaulted twice and brutalized every ten minutes or so, Red Sparrow functions as zipless torture porn with elegant production design.