Red Sparrow is a 2018 spy-thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence who worked with Jennifer Lawrence (the star here) on a couple of the Hunger Games movies, but this is a very different beast. Jennifer Lawrence plays Dominika Egorova (in, it has to be said, a not entirely convincing Russian accent), and Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenarts and Charlotte Rampling star as the film's secondary characters. This one is a pretty big departure from what Lawrence has done in the past, although it has to be said that she's making some pretty bold career choices. I'm not the first one to say that, and for a good reason: it's true. After last year's Mother! it appeared as if she was trying purposefully trying to appear in more "mature" films, and believe me, it doesn't get much more mature than Red Sparrow. The film plays out like one of those schlocky exploitation from the seventies, in that there's sexual violence, sex, violence, torture, and all manner o
The Death of Stalin is a 2017 comedy-drama film based on the graphic novel of the same name, which was written by Fabien Nury. It was directed by Armando Ianucci and the screenplay was also written by him, Ian Martin, and Peter Fellows.
The story is based around the death of Joseph Stalin, and the power struggle facing the group of politicians who attempted to run the country in the aftermath of his reign. What follows is a story of politican corruption and slapstick humour.
I've seen a lot of glowing reviews for this film. It's true that most of them are 8/10 or above. Honestly, I don't feel that amount of affection towards it. The first thing that annoyed me is that all of the characters who live in the Soviet Union are played by British and American actors. It's not that the actors aren't talented and funny (the cast includes Steve Buscemi and Jeffrey Tambor, who are both incredibly accomplished comic actors), but it does ruin the authenticity of the film.
The second problem with this film is the pacing. Even though the film is only around 100 minutes long, there are plenty of scenes in it that could easily have been cut out. In these scenes, very little happens in terms of advancing the plot, and they're incredibly plodding and devoid of any attempts at comedy. That's where the film falls flat. It is definitely more drama than comedy, and those sections have almost no tension. The star quality of the actors alone just isn't enough to carry this film.
However, the comedy in the film is genuinely funny. If there was more of that, I think I'd have enjoyed it a lot more. The first half an hour or so is brilliant and I had high hopes for it, but as it moved towards its final act, I started to get bored. The film isn't particularly engaging. The Death of Stalin should have been a comedy or a drama, not both.
So, the Americans playing Soviet officials make the film seem inauthentic, and the drama sections mostly fall flat. However, the comedy sections are very funny and the actors are doing their best in each of their respective roles. There just isn't enough here to make me want to watch it again.
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