As a society, I think it's fair to say that we are captivated by espionage and infiltration. The vast array of spy thrillers produced for mainstream consumption, across various mediums, indicates our intoxication with this clandestine way of life. Red Sparrow aims to appeal to this fascination, by exploring a dark world showered in a web of political mystery.

Red Sparrow is an adaption of former CIA operative Jason Matthew's critically acclaimed novel. I can't say I'm particularly familiar with the novel, therefore I cannot testify to the faithfulness of its adaptation. But from what I have gleaned from my research is that the film tries to capture the essence of the novel by cutting out the more mundane aspects of intelligence work.

Justin Haythe's screenplay elects to focus on the stories of Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) and Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton). Dominika is a famous prima ballerina who performs for Russia's elite; after experiencing a career ending injury she is approached by her uncle Vanya Ergov, who is a significant player in Russian intelligence (Matthias Schoenaerts). Vanya tasks Dominika with a political mission involving a disloyal Russian politician, promising that the state will continue to support her mother's medical care in exchange. The result of this mission leads to Dominika enrolling in a state subsided intelligence program which produces 'Sparrows'. Sparrows are weapons of the Russian government who are trained to use psychological methods of manipulation in service of the state. Dominika is then sucked into a world of mystery where international powers play complex political games, games defined by moles and shifting allegiances.

It must be said; the most praiseworthy aspect of this film is its central performances. Jennifer Lawrence yet again has taken on another bold and challenging role. Regardless of one's personal opinions of her, it cannot be denied that she is an exceptionally talented actress. Every time she is on screen she is absolutely mesmerising, whether that be in the quieter moments of political intrigue or during the intense, emotionally disturbing scenes. Joel Edgerton also excels as the CIA operative entrusted with protecting a mole within Russian intelligence. It still surprises me that Joel Edgerton is yet to breach the upper echelons of Hollywood, as the man has been delivering compelling performances for years, my favourite being his role in 2011's Warrior.

Jeremy Irons is also engaging whenever he is onscreen, but then again when is he not. After all he did the impossible in the drab DC cinematic universe by bringing a modicum of charm and energy to proceedings. Despite Jeremy Iron's vast talents as an actor, I think it's fair to say he doesn't exactly excel with his Russian accent. Yet in fairness to Mr Irons, I think that's a problem that permeates throughout the whole cast. I might not be a linguistic expert, but even I (a layperson), could detect that the accents were fairly off at times. I understand that Francis Lawrence was probably striving for authenticity with his direction, but the inconsistent accents pull you straight out of this gritty world that he has lovingly created. Perhaps Francis Lawrence should have taken a page out of Armando Lanucci's 'The Death of Stalin', which despite it's Russian setting, had its actors perform in their natural accents.

Another commendable aspect of this film is its overall narrative arc. Justin Haythe's screenplay is intelligent, as it aptly handles the most important parts of its story, mainly it's two central mysteries. Mysteries which are made even more absorbing due to Lawrence's layered performance. The narrative takes plenty of unexpected twists throughout, successfully subverting audience expectations throughout its runtime. Especially at the end of the film, where the final revelation brings together various narrative seeds planted in the film's earlier acts. All of this leads to a story which feels complete, which is impressive considering its vast scope. The ending is also satisfying, and leaves room open for a legitimate sequel. Whether a sequel comes to pass is currently up in the air, as the film (at the time of writing) has only recouped $106,198,534 of its $69 million production budget. Regardless, I personally would be very interested in further exploring this sordid world.

It's also worth noting that this film has received extensive critical feedback, most of which is directed towards its portrayal of explicit content. The film certainly doesn't shy aware from depicting intense violence, torture and abhorrent sexual behaviour. However, in defence of the film, at no point did I feel that the film revelled in the immorality of its characters actions. Nor did I find it to be gratuitous, such explicit scenes were only included as they were essential in the advancement of the plot. However, I completely understand why some people would take issue with such graphic depictions. If you do find such content disturbing, I would advise against watching Red Sparrow.

Nevertheless, I would argue that the real problems in the film comes from its hollow characterisation. The characters in the film are certainly serviceable, but at no point does the film really provide any definitive reasons as to why we should truly care for Dominika or Nate. Except perhaps Dominika's need to care for her ailing mother, yet even this dimension of her character is hardly explored. Another issue with the film I have is the romance between Dominika and Nate, it feels contrived and despite strong individual performances, I would even argue that Lawrence and Edgerton have little onscreen chemistry. If more time had been devoted to developing backstory and the character's relationships, the dramatic climax of the third act would have carried far greater weight. Yet I understand this would have been a difficult addition, as the film already has a 140 min run time. Despite complaints about length from critics, I personally wouldn't have minded an additional 25 mins of screen time, if that time was invested in deeper character development.

Despite these criticisms, Red Sparrow is a riveting spy thriller with an intrepid performance from Jennifer Lawrence. It certainly isn't a game changer by any stretch of the imagination, I highly doubt it will be remembered as a 'cinematic masterpiece' in the years to come, but it's a welcome change of pace from the cookie cutter thrillers of the past few years. It's creative, challenging, and it gives me hope that studios will continue to deliver unconventional and challenging genre stories.