Directed by Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence and starring Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton and Jeremy Irons. Red Sparrow is based on the novel about a ballet dancer who suffers an injury forcing her to quit. Her uncle works for the Russian secret service and decides to recruit her to seduce a man. She eventually goes to a spy training camp but not all is what it seems. Forced to give their bodies to the government they are treated like pieces of meat as they are expected to sleep with the enemy to get information. The training is brutal and there are some winch inducing scenes involving rape and graphic violence which won't sit well with many. It's definitely not a film for everyone. The trailers promised an action thriller similar to the likes of Salt and Atomic Blonde but it's more of a thriller that sometimes plods at a slow pace. With it being set in Russia everyone oddly enough speak English to appeal to a mainstream audience (who can't be bothered reading subtitles).

It requires your full attention because it gets convoluted towards the end with its many twists and turns. But because it's such a slow moving film with a derivative story, its kind of hard to stay engaged. Veteran actors Jeremy Irons and Charlotte Rampling do serviceable jobs. Jennifer Lawrence does her best as always but the Russian accent is a little bit distracting. Joel Edgerton is great but like most of the actors he's underused and there is very little chemistry between him and Lawrence. However that being said the film looks great with an intriguing music score by James Newton Howard. It has a realistic feel to it as a real life former CIA agent advised the production of the film. With its violence, torture scenes and language it's a film that takes risks. And it's refreshing to see a spy thriller that doesn't just rely on action set pieces. It suffers from a slow pace but it's worth it.