Atomic Blonde

"If you're going into Atomic Blonde wanting a simple action film, I can guarantee you at least one moment of ass-kicking amazement that will make the whole film feel like it was worth seeing. But be aware: this isn't a simple action film. It's a complicated action film that isn't very good at telling a complicated story."

"You don't go to operas for dancing or ballets for singing, and you don't see Atomic Blonde for anything but a badass female protagonist crunching bones and pulping faces in gratifyingly long takes or remarkable simulations thereof."

"So much uncut hardboiled posturing proves exhausting over a nearly two-hour runtime, and with zero emotional stakes and a plot that is both difficult and seemingly pointless to follow, there's a fundamental emptiness behind all the flash."

"Lorraine punches and is punched, and her body is soon mapped by bruises and abrasions. It's a lot of abuse for such puny returns, even if the fights are the best parts of "Atomic Blonde.""

"Turns out to be nothing more than a series of sometimes visually impressive, but perpetually banal sequences..."

"Theron, who did most of her own martial-arts stunts, is pure bruising poetry in motion. She's a stone-cold badass. How can you resist?"

""Atomic Blonde" may be a delirious exercise in outré nonsense, but it can also be a brutally effective action picture when the inspiration strikes."

"As enjoyable as Atomic Blonde can be at times, its main utility may be its demonstration that Theron deserves better than this."