Jonathan Ford

What's interesting about this movie is the 2 stars (rather than 1 or 0) is solely a reflection of how the film started. Very enthralling backdrop as the story develops, Rosamund Pike acts the hell out of every sociopathic role she's ever played, and the beginning makes it very easy to *hate* her. There are some pretty sexist moments that clumsily attempt to blur the fact that Marla (Pike's character) is actually the villain, but it's exciting enough as the movie reaches the climax to make you feel like it was really worth the watch. Then the end unravels it all. Not sure how it was decided to fumble the finale so badly. It's deeply unrealistic after an intro that felt thoughtful & intricate, even if lighthearted (a solo woman decides to take on a team of Russian mobsters who somehow have evaded law enforcement and enemies for decades, but can't beat her?) Overly melodramatic (the shower "I'm so happy you survived the mobster attack" scene, only to decide we're going to go back after these guys who almost killed us), and just morally objectionable (the optics of the white woman coming out victorious regardless of how much evil she's committed, and dying a swift smooth death, just feels unsatisfying and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It feels very emblematic of a lot of the issues with Hollywood and our society ...but I digress) Overall, the first half is enjoyable, but the end just falls off a great deal for me. Feels like an attempt at women's empowerment gone wrong.