The last time the Lawrences (Jennifer and Francis) got together, they were headlining YA phenomenon Hunger Games. With more sex, more violence, and more sexual violence, they have moved far away from those better days with Red Sparrow. On the surface, there are tons of problems: interminable length, bad accents, dumb filmmaking logic (why do the Russians keep speaking English?!), bland visuals, and just a general grossness. And as ugly as the movie is on the outside, it's even uglier inside. Lawrence plays a Russian ballet dancer who joins a secret Russian spy agency that teaches young people to use whatever necessary (sex specifically) to help overcome the Kremlin's enemies. It's an intriguing enough premise I guess, as we're plunged into a dystopian-type underworld. And Lawrence's dancing is super impressive, yet sadly it's short-lived. What follows is a barrage of names, countries and agencies, all with different intentions and backgrounds, and none of which are memorable from scene-to-scene. Instead, we're stuck wondering how we're expected to buy any of what's happening, with a protagonist we know really know nothing about. Her sudden superspy abilities are so perfect she may as well have been Keanu Reeves plugged into the Matrix, instantaneously learning kung fu. The character psychology would be laughably inept if it weren't so frustratingly troubling. Sexual abuse and manipulation occur regularly for this woman, and yet there's is little reality in how this affects her in the story. Given the current (and far-too-late) climate we're in right now, this willing ignorance about gender and sexual power dynamics isn't just bad storytelling, it's inappropriate. To no end or purpose, Red Sparrow drips of ill-advised cynicism.