Jennifer Lawrence is tied to a chair, beaten and tortured. She is the victim of rape and attempted rape. She is forced to strip naked in private and in public. She is slashed, stabbed and has a gun put to her head. Ostensibly, such graphic ordeals are intended to demonstrate the physical and psychological fortitude of her character. A Russian spy named Dominika Egorova. But ultimately, these shocking and violent sequences become repetitive and gratuitous, making "Red Sparrow" feel more like a cheap exercise in exploitation than a visceral tale of survival. Surely there's more to spycraft than knowing the perfect spot to caress on a target's thigh, or how delicately to whisper into his ear. But this is about the extent of the training she receives.(Oh! She also learns how to pick locks.) Dominika is right when she complains that she's been sent to a school alongside other attractive and tough-minded young people who are being molded to serve Russia's secret intelligence. What she endures is more than just degrading-it's destructive. And as a solitary tool set, it wouldn't seem to prepare her for the many dangers headed her way. "Red Sparrow," which Francis Lawrence directed from Justin Haythe's script, is based on the novel by Jason Matthews. But it's impossible to watch it without comparing it to last summer's stylish and kinetic "Atomic Blonde," another physically demanding espionage thriller starring Charlize Theron. Lawrence and Edgerton suffer from a woeful lack of chemistry together, a component that's essential to determining whether the entire movie works. The way they dance around one other-flirting, feeling each other out-provides some intrigue and suspense at first. But they drop their facades far too quickly, and the ensuing romance has barely any spark. They never make us believe the sacrifices they're willing to make for each other; we just have to go with it as the plot chugs along. Thankfully, there's Mary-Louise Parker, who provides a much-needed respite from this slog. She has a quick but significant supporting role as the chief of staff to a United States senator who's too drunk to realize she's not nearly as slick or savvy as she thinks she is. She finds herself in over her head while trying to sell secrets to the Russians and ends up getting squeezed in the midst of a power play between various double-crossing agents. It's the film's most suspenseful segment. And for one brief, glorious moment, she breathes life into a movie that never truly takes flight.