• Very impressed with Leitch’s exercise in style
  • 80’s Berlin-chic, drenched in neon in every scene—nods to Refn’s Drive
  • Strong supporting cast but it is Charlize Theron’s show- she’s impeccable- nods to Delon in Le Samourai and Bond of course
  • A clear and admirable dedication to an era and place—we have David Bowie, George Michael, Hasslefhof mentions, Reagan on the tv and radio—the wall coming down as a backdrop adds immediacy
  • Love the nods to cinema—we have Tarkovsky’s Stalker playing in a theater, we have the Hitchcock Rope-like tracking (oner) shot simulations with characters or objects blocking the camera—the car chase take reminds me of the car rolling down the hill action scene (though not on that level) in Children of Men
  • The noteworthy long-take on stairs (which bleeds into the scene in the car) is ridiculously well-done—clearly Leitch has artistic ambitions – not sure it’s in the archives without this stunning oner
  • I do wish I cared a bit more about the characters, the stakes, for some of the more drawn out action set pieces
  • “Voices Carry”- song perfectly used the first time— if a little on the nose—then we had flock of seagulls during the chase scene—might be a bit much
  • McAvoy is fun to watch as always- not exactly Welles as Harry Lime as a monster in Berlin (nods to Third Man) but still
  • Could do without the epilogue with Theron as a brunette
  • Highly Recommend