Review by John Delia
In the crowded movie business it’s hard to make a hitman thriller with something new and exciting. The Rhythm Section gives it a try and actually does put a twist on the popular genre. In the place of a male protagonist a female takes the lead in a quest for revenge and settling the score. What makes this film nicely different is Blake Lively the sweetheart of TV’s “Gossip Girl†who goes from dainty to dangerous.
Still dismayed and can’t come to grips with the loss following an airline explosion that killed her parents and two other members of her family, Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively) has longed for the truth about what happened aboard the flight. With the revelation that it was an explosion caused by a terrorist bombing, she seeks out information on who was responsible and finds out that he’s never been caught.
When she starts a paper trail that leads to Lain Boyd (Jude Law), he decides to help Stephanie with his contacts to the underworld of which he had been a part. It’s the beginning of a treacherous climb that will put herself in danger and possible death as the bodies start mounting up. Director Reed Morano, most noted for his work with HULU’s “The Handmaid’s Taleâ€, does a terrific job of setting his audience up for a thrill ride as Stephanie travels around England with revenge and redemption on her mind. His scenes are explosive, exciting, compelling and pulsating as the young woman disregards the risks and danger.
What really makes this film work is the performance by Blake Lively as the woman who at first would not swat a fly, then after her first kill in self-defense, she fights with reckless abandoned. Feeling her life is not worth living until she gets a chance at one of the most hated killers, her Stephanie uses everything that Lain Boyd teaches her, right up to a fight to the finish. Blake’s really not an Angelina Jolie, Milla Jovovich or Olga Kurylenko, but more of a Scarlet Johansson type coming out of nowhere to fill the shoes of an action actor needed to go from ordinary to extraordinary.
Note: Sometimes you wonder why they title a film that has nothing to do with the plot. This is the case of The Rhythm Section. Duplicating a title that has already been used for another film, isn’t a great idea either and maybe they ran out of ideas for the title to this movie. However, it has been a challenge for this writer as I was waiting to see if sometime during the film may have tied in with the weird choice, like maybe Stephanie’s kill target being the drummer, guitarist or other rhythmic instrument player in an orchestra (lol). Well if anyone seeing the film comes up with a reason for the title as it pertains to the plot, please let me know? This paragraph’s just so you know that the film is not a musical nor a comedy and not even inspirational, but a powerful revenge film that actually is pretty darn good.
The Rhythm Section has been rated R by the MPAA for violence, sexual content, language throughout, and some drug use. So be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for youngsters.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A good time for thriller fans with a very gutsy storyline. (3 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Blake Lively, Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown, Daniel Mays. Max Casella, Raza Jaffrey, Richard Blake, Geoff Bell, Ivana Basic
Directed by: Reed Morano
Genre: Action, Mystery, Drama
MPAA Rating: R for violence, sexual content, language throughout, and some drug use
Running Time: 1 hr. 49 min.
Opening Date: January 31, 2020
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Released in: Theaters