FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1999, Mark Burnell’s
The Rhythm Section is a thriller from a diff erent
era. A revenge tale sparked by an unthinkable act
of global terrorism — the downing of a passenger
jet — the novel’s shock and awe seems almost
quaint in a post-9/11 world. It makes sense, then,
that Burnell has attempted to strip out much
of the story’s more anachronistic elements in
adapting it for the screen. What remains is a
more streamlined tale of personal empowerment
in which Lively’s Stephanie Patrick pulls herself
from destitution to become an avenging
instrument of death.
Following a delightfully cold-blooded turn in
Paul Feig ’s A Simple Favour, Lively throws herself
into the central role, layering the traumatised
Patrick with guilt and self-loathing as she turns
tricks in a seedy London walk-up (a sequence gifted
an earthy realism sadly missing thereafter).
Straightened out and hammered into shape by
gruff Bear Grylls-alike Iain Boyd (a slightly miscast
Jude Law), Patrick is — in true Nikita fashion
— forged anew, here posing as an international
assassin to root out her family’s killer.Unlike Nikita’s, though, Patrick’s
metamorphosis is refreshingly modest.
Even after months of training in the Scottish
Highlands, she’s just a woman on a mission,
never trying to sell the idea that a few Tough
Mudders could turn her into Jason Bourne
(a point made clear by a particularly brutal
fight lesson over porridge). Instead, her
transformation is largely psychological, Lively
bringing a steely determination to the character,
while retaining a core of vulnerability that, even
during a messy assassination, leaves her jittery
and anxious.
Director Reed Morano (The Handmaid’s
Tale) ensures the camera sees Patrick without
ogling — even a scene in which she poses as an
escort is deliberately desexualised — but it’s in
the fi lm’s action that the direction falls fl at.
Opting for a Greengrass-light handheld
style, the fi ght sequences are deliberately messy,
but languid edits drain most of the excitement.
A car chase slaloming through the streets of
Tangier feels strangely inert, and a major
confrontation on a bus is reduced to slightly
rude shoving, followed by some rolling about
on the fl oor.
With all the talk of a female Bond, this
Eon-produced fi lm (the fi rst in a series of
Patrick novels by Burnell) could have been the
perfect vehicle for a double-X double-0. But
with much of the book’s substance shed, the
fi lm is disappointingly lightweight. Despite
Burnell’s updates, the geopolitics are inauthentic
and the core of the story — that of a woman
rediscovering her own identity through becoming
someone else — never quite lands. Twenty years
ago this would have passed as a decent potboiler;
in 2020, though, it feels too simplistic, and it’s
this lack of sophistication that ultimately makes
The Rhythm Section lose its beat. JAMES DYERVERDICT Lively’s steely heroine and a
propulsive plot ensure you’re never bored, but
this is a generic thriller from a simpler time,
bulked up by a single strong performance.THE RHYTHM SECTION
DIRECTOR Reed Morano
CAST Blake Lively, Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown,
Max Casella, Richard Brake, Geoff BellPLOT After her entire family is wiped out in a
terrorist attack, student Stephanie Patrick (Lively)
falls apart. Three years later, having hit rock-
bottom and now working as a prostitute, she’s
approached by a journalist (Raza Jaffrey) who
offers new information on the attack, and
possibly a chance at revenge.OUT NOW
★★★ CERT TBC / 109 MINS[FILM]
The name’s Patrick.
Stephanie Patrick.IN FABRIC
★★★
OUT 12 MARCH / CERT MA15+ / 118 MINS
DIRECTOR Peter Strickland
CAST Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Leo Bill,
Julian Barratt, Steve OramSomeone’s been watching a lot of Dario
Argento movies because there’s a strong
retro Euro-horror infl uence feel to this
stylishly shot, disturbingly grotesque,
ultimately confusing movie: every scene
has a nightmarish quality and every
conversation is laden with menace. This
’80s-set British tale is about put-upon
bank teller Sheila (Jean-Baptiste), who
buys a dress at a sale and fi nds out
some bargains just aren’t worth the
savings. Anyone who wears the cursed
bit of fabric also suffers bizarre ill-fortune.
Like the Euro-horror fi lms it emulates,
In Fabric doesn’t make a whole lot of
sense. The end result of all the blood and
carnage is a sense of “What the..?!”
Dario would be proud. DAN LENNARDEMMA.
★★
OUT NOW / CERT PG / 125 MINS
DIRECTOR Autumn de Wilde
CAST Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn,
Bill Nighy, Mia Goth, Josh O’ConnorPop promo director Autumn de Wilde’s
take on Jane Austen’s mischievous
matchmaker never really fi nds its feet.
Tonally all over the place (often during
the same scene), Anya Taylor-Joy never
truly captures the character’s capricious
nature as she guides the love-life of
friend Harriet Smith (Goth) while sparring
with neighbour George Knightley (Flynn,
intense). The fi rst half wants to be light
but the static staging — it shoots for
a Wes Anderson-y stylized aesthetic —
and performances lack the verve and spirit
to pull it off. The fi lm fares better when it
moves into more emotional territory, but
never totally takes fl ight. Amy Heckerling’s
Clueless — Emma in the Valley —
remains the big-screen benchmark. IFON SCREEN