Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2843. The Rhythm Section (2020)

    2843. The Rhythm Section (2020)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on February 3, 2020 100-109 mins, 2020, 6 - 7.9, Action, Crime, Drama, Feb 20, Movies Of 2020, Review, Thriller, United Kingdom, United States
    7.4 Captivating and action-packed
    • Acting 7.5
    • Directing 7.3
    • Story 7.3
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Blake Lively, Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown

    Director: Reed Morano

    Running Time: 109 mins


    The Rhythm Section is an American/British film about a young woman who, after years of suffering in silence following the death of her family in a terrorist attack, finds herself in the position to take direct revenge on the man who took them from her.

    While The Rhythm Section isn’t the world’s most heart-racing action-thriller, often wildly overestimating its own intensity, it does provide surprising excitement and investing character development throughout. Evolving effectively from the start, the film twists and turns in genuinely gripping fashion, building to a captivating finale brought to life by an outstanding lead turn from Blake Lively.

    Now, this film is by no means edge-of-your-seat, heart-stopping stuff. It’s entertaining and action-packed, but I got the sense that it was really aiming for something a little more intense, both on an emotional level and with its gritty atmosphere.

    At times, the violence and action do lend the film a certain grit, but they do little to really amp up its emotional intensity, something that always feels lacking as we follow a young woman go to extremes to take revenge on the man who killed her family.

    In that, The Rhythm Section is never as heart-racing as the likes of Taken, and it’s also never quite as sleek and eye-catching as the likes of Atomic Blonde, with a gritty atmosphere that undermines what ultimately becomes a rather enjoyable and potentially slick globe-trotting espionage thriller.

    Now, while that’s evidence of director Reed Morano not doing all that much to keep the film consistent and well-held together, that doesn’t mean The Rhythm Section doesn’t have its strengths.

    Because, although it’s not a spectacular watch, I really enjoyed this film as a character piece more than anything else. Its action is good, and the movie definitely gets into its stride in its latter stages with a little more espionage intrigue, but it’s the character development that really makes The Rhythm Section genuinely captivating throughout.

    The story of a downtrodden young woman whose life has been wrecked following her family’s deaths in a terrorist attack, the film follows her fascinating arc from the doldrums of London to the heights of international espionage. And what’s more, it manages to do so in a convincing and thoroughly engrossing way.

    Its earlier stages are a little messy, but once we get to the middle portion of the film where she begins to train under the direction of Jude Law’s ex-MI6 agent, those grittier vibes hit home really well, as she’s forced to overcome immense odds to become an entirely different person, capable of taking on international enemies.

    In that, Blake Lively’s performance is absolutely vital to making the central character arc work so well. Above all, it’s the physicality of her performance that’s so striking, from her dark, downtrodden persona early on all the way to physically demanding and impressive feats in the film’s more action-packed periods.

    But what’s more is that she gives the character real likability and, most importantly of all, vulnerability. Given that this is the story of a woman coming from nothing to becoming a super-spy, there has to be a sense of jumping into the unknown, and fortunately Lively delivers that brilliantly.

    Along with a well-written screenplay, we see Lively struggle both physically and emotionally as she comes up against obstacle after obstacle, giving a convincing development arc rather than just seeing her become an invincible, emotionless super-spy in the vein of James Bond.

    As a result, you form a strong connection with her that stays strong in the film’s latter stages, making the action all the more captivating. The revenge element of the plot is far from effective, but her vulnerability in the field makes for gripping viewing, and offers genuine unpredictability compared with most generic action-thrillers.

    In that, it’s fair to say that The Rhythm Section isn’t quite the nail-biting thriller to put you on the edge of your seat. It’s by no means as intense as it thinks it is, and misses the mark on its revenge themes as well as its gritty atmosphere.

    However, with a genuinely impressive central character arc that offers gripping drama throughout, the film is a captivating watch, all bolstered by a brilliantly physical and layered lead performance from Blake Lively. So, that’s why I’m giving The Rhythm Section a 7.4 overall.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.0
    Review
    May 26, 20210

    3359. Nomadland (2020)

    8.4
    Review
    October 12, 20180

    2312. First Man (2018)

    8.9
    Review
    May 23, 20140

    567. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

    8.3
    Review
    May 18, 20210

    3350. Minari (2020)

    8.2
    Review
    November 1, 20150

    1138. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.