THE OLD GUARD : Sunday 12th July 2020.

In these very trying and testing times for us all that has seen many cinema's, Odeon's, and movie theatres around the world close their doors for the foreseeable future because of the escalating threat of the COVID-19 Coronavirus taking an ever increasing hold on the world at large, many film and television productions halted in their tracks indefinitely, and new film releases pushed back to some future date when some sense of movie going normalcy is expected to resume, I have, needless to say, had to adapt to this new world order. And so with my usual Reviews of the latest cinematic releases being curtailed, instead I will post my Review of the latest release movies showing on Netflix until such time as the regular outing to my local multiplex or independent theatre can be reinstated.

In the last few weeks then, a number of new feature films have landed at Netflix - of which I review as below 'The Old Guard' which went live on the streaming service on 10th July and which I saw from the comfort of my own home on Sunday 12th July.

'THE OLD GUARD' is an American superhero film (but not as we know it!) Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood the American film-maker, Writer and occasional Producer whose previous directorial outings take in 'Love & Basketball' in 2000, 'The Secret Life of Bees' in 2008 and 'Beyond the Lights' in 2014. This film is based on the 2017 comic book of the same name by Greg Rucka, is Co-Produced by its lead star Charlize Theron, cost in the region of US$70M to produce and has garnered generally positive Reviews so far.

We are initially introduced to Andromache of Scythia (Andy for short, as played by Charlize Theron), Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) who are all centuries old warriors with healing abilities that mean they can defy death by regenerating their wounds now matter how fatal, and are therefore immortal. They come together for the first time in over a year and we learn that Andy is by far the oldest and the first of their kind. Booker was around during the Napoleonic Wars and is the youngest, and both Joe and Nicky fought each other during the Crusades killing each other several times but are now firm friends and have each others backs - always and forever. Over the course of the centuries they have individually and collectively used their vast wealth of experiences to help those in need and at times changed the course of history for the better.

Booker tells them that former CIA operative James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) has a job for them to extract a group of kidnapped children in South Sudan - the youngest of which is eight, the oldest fourteen years of age. Andy is very reluctant, but is persuaded by Booker and the others to go ahead with it. During the mission, they make their way to an underground bunker where the children are being held captive, only to be ambushed and outnumbered and shot to smithereens with not a single kidnapped child in sight. Within minutes, the bullets all self extract and their wounds all self heal much to the astonishment of their attackers. Rising up, the four all dispense with their attackers and then realise that there is camera trained on their every move. Copley it seems sold them out to expose their supposed immortality.

In the meantime in Afghanistan, while on active duty US Marine Nile Freeman (KiKi Layne) while leading a small squad of female soldiers to infiltrate a hiding target and return him alive shoots her target twice in the chest after he shot at her. Trying to lend medical aid, her target in his last dying breaths slices at her throat with a concealed blade. Presumed dead, she soon thereafter in a medical tent, recovers without any physical signs of injury much to the bewilderment of her entire unit, and herself. The four board a train carriage to get them out of South Sudan and while napping, they together with Freeman, all share the same dream, so alerting the four to the presence of a new fresh young immortal. Despite their weariness from their last mission, Andy jumps the train and goes off in search of Freeman which Nicky had drawn a pencil likeness of from his dreams memory, her army regiment badge and other snippets of information that they could recall from their shared yet separate dream experience.

In London, Copley brings the evidence of the fours immortality to Steven Merrick (Harry Melling) the youngest CEO of a big pharmaceutical company touting a groundbreaking cancer busting drug and with it the means to prolong life for decades, and his head Researcher Dr. Meta Kozak (Anamaria Marinca). Merrick is very excited about what he sees on the recording from Copley and considers this his one way ticket to furthering his research into immortality and prolonging life for all, and therefore adding sizeably to his already massive profits. He sends his own private army to locate the four, capture them and bring them in so that he can conduct his own experiments into their abilities, and ultimately get well ahead of the competition.

Andy extracts Freeman, needing to shoot her in the head first (from which she quickly recovers), and then they board a flight in which Freeman goes head to head and toe to toe in a fist fight mid-flight with Andy because she cannot comprehend the enormity of what is happening to her. When Andy overpowers her by breaking her leg and her arm, and then witnessing her self healing powers for the first time, she relents and begins to listen to reason. Andy takes Freeman to a small abandoned church about fifty miles outside of Paris, France, where the other three are all lying low. There she asks how old each of them are and they all respond with their own stories, except Andy who will not divulge just how old she is, except that she is very old.

They tell Freeman the story of Quynh (Van Veronica Ngo) - the first of Andy's comrades who fought together many centuries ago who was later captured by priests and accused of witchcraft and sorcery, taken from Andy and buried alive in an iron maiden coffin somewhere at sea where she has been continually drowning for the past five hundred years. The group also tell her that they are not truly immortal, and that their self healing abilities can cease at anytime without warning.

Later that evening, the church is raided by Merrick's small army. Joe and Nicky are taken, leaving a badly injured Booker suffering from a grenade explosion injury to his stomach, from which needless to say he recovers. Andy and Freeman were outside talking at the time of the surprise attack. Hearing an exchange of gunfire, Andy goes inside and quickly dispenses with all of Merrick's henchmen, but not before being stabbed in the shoulder. Leaving the carnage behind them at the church, they drive to a secret cave that contains all of Andy's gathered artefacts from centuries past. Her stab wound to her shoulder has not healed so she visits an all night chemist for some bandages and temporary stitching, while Booker attempts to locate Copley.

Finding Copley at a residence in Surrey, England, the three all prepare to raid the home and confront Copley. Freeman however, declines choosing to visit her family instead of accepting her destiny which is to outlive all of her family, friends and loved ones. Andy and Booker confront Copley in his home. Booker shoots Copley in her lower side putting his case forward for doing so so that Merrick can bring an end to their immortality through his research. Merrick's henchmen arrive en masse and disarm Andy and Booker who has now come to realise that Andy's bullet wound is not healing. Copley's mindset changes when he learns that Merrick is prepared to torture the four of them for as long as it takes to advance his studies of them. Freeman realises as she is about to board a train, that Booker had sold the group out and rocks up to Copley's house after the horse has bolted. She does however, convince him to aid her in their rescue mission to Merrick's HQ in the city of London, where the four are now being experimented on.

Copley, using his card access to gain entry into Merrick's HQ, enters an unmonitored part of the building with Freeman. She then tells him to turn back because it's all too dangerous for him to be around, and no matter what the consequences are she'll be walking out of there regardless. After a shoot out Freeman rescues the bound four immortals who ultimately take out all of Merrick's heavily armed security force while protecting Andy from any further injuries.

Merrick meanwhile has made  a quick exit, or so it seems, in a lift. The others give chase leaving Andy and Freeman to pause for a moment in reflection. Merrick shows up wielding a gun at them both. Through some quick thinking Merrick is disabled, has Andy's double edged curved battle axe impaled in his neck and is catapulted with Freeman through the already smashed window of the penthouse suite multiple storeys above the street, into the roof of a car parked below. Needless to say Merrick is very dead, and Freeman is a twisted contorted blood-soaked mess of a woman who quickly self heals and walks out of the wreckage.
   

Meeting in a London Pub on the banks of the River Thames, Andy, Joe, Nicky and Freeman discuss what level of punishment to bestow upon Booker for his act of betrayal, while Booker stands on the rivers edge outside pondering his fate. Andy emerges and says that he is forbidden from contacting the others for the next one hundred years and to meet with them all again on this day one hundred years from now. Booker and Andy embrace and he tells her that he is unlikely to see her again for fear that she will inevitably succumb to any future life threatening injury now. As she walks away having bid her farewell, she replies, 'have faith!'. Soon afterwards the four meet with Copley who tells them how he was able to track them down piecing together historical records, old photos, newspaper articles and snippets of information gathered from all over the place. He also tells them how their missions in the past had a far more positive and often worldwide reaching beneficial impact than they ever could have imagined. This gives the group a renewed faith and focus in their mission as Andy tells Copley that from this point forward he will keep their existence a secret, wiping all records and accounts of their pursuits from all sources, to which he replies that he'll 'be honoured'.

Six months later, and a very drunken Booker is stumbling as he returns to his apartment in Paris. Upon entering he is surprised and shocked to see Quynh staring back at him, smiling, saying 'it's nice to finally meet you!'

Here Director Prince-Bythewood gets the jump on the upcoming 25th instalment in the MCU due for release in February 2021 with 'The Eternals' about a group of humanoid immortals who have inhabited Earth for about seven thousand years. Here, these humans only superhero power is that they are immortal (well almost) and have learned over the past centuries to wield a sword, a battle axe, a dagger, shoot, punch, kick and fight their way out of any conflict and keep on going back for more no matter how many times they get put down. The action set pieces are straight out of the 'John Wick' school of close quarter combat but are delivered in such a way for it still to be fresh and exciting and not over extended to the point of gratuitous boredom. The film is also peppered with sentiment and a real sense of camaraderie, long lasting companionship and a mutual respect and trust for each other as back stories are filled, feelings of deep rooted friendship are revealed and emotions are charged. Charlize Theron is on form again doing her ass-kicking gun totting fist fighting thing just as we have witnessed previously in 'Aeon Flux', 'Mad Max : Fury Road' and 'Atomic Blonde' and proving that she is capable of turning her hand to just about any character type having come straight off the back of 'Bombshell'. The other performances are all equally strong all adding weight to their character driven roles underscored by some finely choreographed action sequences. Prince-Bythewood has left the ending wide open for a sequel although at this stage has not confirmed if this is even on the cards, but regardless of that outcome, here she has crafted a grounded relatable story of immortal warriors in the modern world that combines heart, action, drama and tension in equal measure that could teach a thing or two to her contemporaries at the MCU and the DCEU.

'The Old Guard' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

RED SPARROW : Tuesday 6th March 2018.

'RED SPARROW' which I saw this week, here sees Francis Lawrence Directing this American spy thriller based on the 2013 book of the same name by former CIA operative Jason Matthews. Francis Lawrence is no stranger to big screen spectacle having Directed, amongst others, 'Constantine' with Keanu Reeves, 'I Am Legend' with Will Smith, 'The Hunger Games : Catching Fire' with Jennifer Lawrence and 'The Hunger Games : Mokingjay Parts 1 and 2' also with Jennifer Lawrence. Here he teams up with his namesake Jennifer Lawrence once again with the film going on general release around the world just over a week ago having cost US$69M, and having garnered mixed and average Reviews at best so far. The film has so far grossed US$55M in Box Office receipts.

The film centres around Russian and American espionage, the central figure of which is Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) a former prima ballerina forced into an uncertain future as a result of an injury that brings her chosen career to an abrupt halt. She lives with her ailing mother Nina (Joely Richardson) in a very modest apartment which is funded, together with her mothers medical expenses, by the ballet company for whom Dominika dances.

After corrective surgery to her lower leg, and feeling spent, she is approached by her Uncle Ivan (Matthias Schoenaerts) who works for the Russian Secret Service. He tasks her with seducing Russian Politician Dimitri Ustinov (Kristof Konrad) and switching his mobile phone with an identical state provided one, in exchange for which she can continue living in her apartment with her mother and all medical expenses covered, when this line of charity runs dry from the ballet company. Dominika must follow a fairly simple set of instructions, which she does. This leads to her being raped by Ustinov in her hotel room, but this is cut short by a garrotte around Ustinov's neck delivered at the hands of Simyonov (Sergej Onopko) slicing his throat open and killing him. After making a quick escape on motorcycle, Ivan reveals to Dominika that he had always intended to kill Ustinov and that she performed her job very well. But, Russian Intelligence rule that there can be no witnesses to such acts, and so she has a choice to make - either be executed, or begin a new career with Russian Intelligence.

Meanwhile Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton) is a CIA operative working in Moscow. While meeting with a Russian asset (codenamed Marble) at night in Gorky Park, their meeting is interrupted by a random drive-by Police car. To protect his asset from detection, Nash creates a diversion in order that they can both evade capture and questioning. After a foot chase through the streets of downturn Moscow, Nash narrowly escapes, and is sent packing back to the US to explain his actions, and to be grounded. Nash spent three years nurturing his relationship and building up trust with Marble who has now gone underground and contact lost. As a result, Nash is reassigned to Budapest to reconnect with Marble.

In the meantime Dominika is packed off to 'Sparrow School' having made the correct decision. Here young men and woman are trained to seduce their targets using physical, mental and emotional cues to do so. Dominika excels at her studies largely at the hands of the 'Matron' - the Head of Sparrow School (Charlotte Rampling), although rebels at some of the elements of her training, including stripping naked in front of her classmates, and her willingness to being raped by a fellow trainee. Despite this she shows promise and is singled out by General Vladimir Korchnoi (Jeremy Irons) overseen by Colonel Zacharov (Ciaran Hinds) and assigned to Budapest to seek out Nate Nash, gain his confidence by whatever means necessary, and learn the identity of his asset.

In Budapest, Dominika shacks up with Marta (Thekla Reuten) and quickly makes contact with Nash at a local swimming pool where Nash regularly swims laps for his afternoon exercise. Nash works out pretty quickly that she is a Russian Intelligence operative, and she reveals her true identity to him and that she is wanting to gain the identity of his asset. One day while Marta is out, Dominika takes the opportunity to snoop through her bedroom. She uncovers a notebook in which is recorded the name of Stephanie Boucher (Mary-Louise Parker), a Chief-of-Staff for a US Senator and a sum of US$250,000, whom Marta is working with to gather information from.

Later, following a surprise visit from her Uncle Ivan, Dominika reveals her plan to secure secrets from Boucher, which is overheard by Marta who believes that she is trying to take control over her planned assignment. A few days later, Marta winds up very dead in her bathtub at home - her tortured mutilated murdered body laying blood soaked for Dominika to discover. Simyonov creeps up behind Dominika and reveals that he killed Marta as a warning not to divulge Russian secrets.

Dominika offers her services to Nash to work with the CIA as a double agent. She sees through Marta's planed assignment with Boucher and sets up a covert meeting in a London hotel room where several disks containing sensitive information will be exchanged for US$250,000 in cash, all the while monitored covertly by Nash and his team. The meeting goes off well, Boucher leaves the hotel room with her swag bag of cash, but is spooked by CIA operatives who move in too quickly and without the command, and is killed outright when she steps into the road and is mown down by a passing truck.

Dominika's Russian handler sees that the mission has been compromised, and she is whisked away quickly to Heathrow, then back to Russia where she is interrogated and tortured for seemingly compromising Boucher. She repeatedly denies this, and is subject to more beatings and torture. Ivan enters the room to deliver an ultimatum, but Dominika convinces her Uncle that her interrogation will give her credibility with the CIA, and as such she should be allowed to return to the field to complete her assignment. She returns to Budapest, and meets with Nash stating her desire to defect to the US with her mother.

Nash and Dominika spend the night together. The next morning Dominika awakens alone in bed, but with muffled sounds coming from the next room. She investigates to find Nash bound to a chair with Simyonov standing over him, demanding the identity of Marble or suffer the consequences at his torturous hands. Simyonov unravels and array of sharp instruments of torture. Dominika goes along with the ruse to show support of Simyonov and takes part in the torture, lulling him into  false sense of security, before she administers a crashing blow to his temple sending him reeling backwards. In the ensuing scuffle, Nash is able to free himself but by now Simyonov is on his feet slashing wildly away with a surgical blade at them both. Ultimately Dominika gains the upper hand and after repeatedly stabbing Simyonov administers the final blow with a blade into his neck.

Later, Dominika comes round in a hospital bed, with her wounds dressed. She ventures out of her private room to take stock of her location, and is greeted by General Korchnoi who reveals to her that he is in fact the mole, codenamed Marble. He explains that his anger and frustration by the deep rooted and ongoing corruptness of Russia led him to becoming a secret double agent. He further adds that she should reveal his identity to her Uncle, Ivan, and that her outing such a high ranking official will gain her instant promotion and set her up for a high profile career in Russian Intelligence, as well as continuing the work with the CIA that they are both secretly engaged in too. Back on Russian soil, Dominika makes contact with her superiors and advises them who the mole is, but instead of outing Korchnoi, she frames her Uncle Ivan instead who ultimately dies with a bullet to the head during a prisoner exchange overseen by Nash and the CIA. Dominika gains her reward of promotion and the recognition that goes with it, and returns home to care for her mother in the same apartment.

'Red Sparrow' joins the ranks of Russian/American international espionage thrillers that we see all too often, and in some cases done better. This offering does stand up on its own two feet, but be prepared to pay attention throughout as the plot twists and turns every which way and you'll need to concentrate on who's side who is on, why and when. The film is graphic in its violence and sexual violence and seems to rely all too heavily on putting the Jennifer Lawrence character through just about every degradation possible from torture through interrogation through rape (twice and almost a third time) through multiple beatings in between and bearing witness to some pretty grisly murders. The film at 140 minutes is also too long for the subject matter and could have been easily paired back to two hours without the padding and a little more straightforwardness. Despite this the films redeeming points are its cast, and this is Lawrence like we have never seen her before as she bares all (literally) to join the ranks of Angelina Jolie ('Salt') and Charlize Theron ('Atomic Blonde') as an action heroine, joined by an ensemble cast of fine acting talent that help levitate the film above a by the numbers offering. This is potentially the first film in a franchise of three, as author Jason Matthews has penned two further novels in the series. We'll see if the lessons learned from this first film transfer to any subsequent follow-up.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-