Blake Lively (desperately trying to shed her good girl image with no make-up, ratty hairstyle, and English accent) stars as a woman who becomes a drug-addled sex worker after her entire family dies in a terrorist bombing. As luck would have it, a dogged reporter (Raza Jaffrey) has found the man responsible for building the bomb that murdered her family. She tries to execute the terrorist herself, but when she fails to pull the trigger, the reporter winds up dead. A disgraced secret agent (Jude Law) then kidnaps her and trains her to become a hitwoman so she can finally seek revenge (and find peace).
The same week the James Bond producers pushed back No Time to Die (again), they put this on Amazon Prime for free. Like No Time to Die, its release was pushed back several times. When it finally came out earlier this year, it was a flop. That’s probably due to the title, which makes it sound like a fucking cello movie or something. Unlike Bond, it’s a smaller, more personal thriller. It’s also surprisingly tough and mean-spirited, and unexpectedly focuses just as much on grief and trauma as it does vengeance and kicking ass.
The Rhythm Section is unassuming and easy to underestimate, but it’s got it where it counts. That’s fitting because the heroine is the same way. The film belongs in one of my favorite subsects of the revenge genre where the character isn’t very good at getting revenge, but slowly becomes more capable thanks to raw determination and a little luck. You wouldn’t think Lively could pull a role like this off. However, she equips herself nicely and has you rooting for her by the end. The fight scenes are messy, and there’s a pretty good chase scene done in one continuous take (although the seams in the editing are quite obvious).
I could’ve done without the on-the-nose needle drops of ‘60s tunes during some of the major sequences. They really call attention to themselves and kind of run against the grain of the film’s serious tone. Still, The Rhythm Section has plenty of rhythm as it moves along at a steady clip and kicks plenty of ass. Too bad it flopped. I wouldn’t have minded seeing Lively in a sequel.
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