Movie Reviews

Movie Review: “The Rhythm Section” Sings A Familiar Refrain


 

A woman seeks revenge against those who orchestrated a plane crash that killed her family.

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of “The Rhythm Section” consists of Blake Lively’s transformation from a loving, down to earth sister and daughter, to a drug-addled prostitute, pathetically passing the hours until her eventual death. After losing her father, mother, sister, and brother in a mysterious plane crash over the Atlantic, Lively’s character, Stephanie Patrick, descends into a checked-out stupor, reliving three-year-old memories day after agonizing day. Consequently, Lively’s typically breezy and light persona goes out the window for this production. Instead, she delivers a gritty performance, demonstrating a range far beyond her previous roles.

When a new customer turns out to be an investigative reporter named Proctor (Raza Jaffrey), she has a bouncer throw him out of her tenement. Curious, she later allows Proctor to share with her more nefarious details about the supposed accident. In actuality, someone planted a bomb on the plane, but the motive was not random terrorism. Instead, she learns that a specific person was targeted making her family merely collateral damage.

Enraged, Stephanie seeks out Reza (Tawfeek Barhom) – the likely terrorist – with the intent to kill him. Unfortunately, she spooks Reza in the process, who immediately disappears into the ether. Meantime, Stephanie’s mischief brings Proctor to a bad end.

As Stephanie follows up on one of Proctor’s leads, she encounters ex-MI6 agent known only as B (Jude Law). Implausibly, and by more or less mutual consent, B reluctantly leads Stephanie through a rigorous training program that she will not likely complete. Nonetheless, months later, he dispatches her into the field to liquidate in systematic fashion all of the people involved in the crash. Not surprisingly, her early attempts as an assassin prove clumsy and crude.

Along the journey, Sterling K. Brown clocks in solidly as an ex-CIA information broker. He expertly guides Stephanie along the unseemly and slimy corridors of power in order to track down her unwitting prey.

Frequent silent flashbacks attempt to portray the idyllic family life abruptly torn from Stephanie, but the soft-focus scenes never really translate any strong sense of connection to the audience. In essence, director Reed Morano dutifully lays out the timeworn tragedy-to-revenge tale that other movies have managed to pull off far more effectively.

Based on Mark Burnell’s screenplay adapted from his ‘Stephanie Patrick Thrillers Book 1,’ the production feels like a second-rate Luc Besson vehicle. Judging from this initial outing, forthcoming sequels appear unlikely. “The Rhythm Section” simply cannot muster enough action and empathy necessary to suspend disbelief over the course of the highly improbable events depicted in the film.

 

In Theaters Friday, January 31st

 

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Thomas Tunstall

Thomas Tunstall, Ph.D. is the senior research director at the Institute for Economic Development at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is the principal investigator for numerous economic and community development studies and has published extensively. Dr. Tunstall recently completed a novel entitled "The Entropy Model" (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1982920610/?coliid=I1WZ7N8N3CO77R&colid=3VCPCHTITCQDJ&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it). He holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy, and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Dallas, as well as a B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.