Red Sparrow (2018)
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A former ballerina turned Russian intelligence officer must navigate a web of espionage to identify a mole while navigating a dangerous alliance with a CIA operative.
The story
In modern-day Russia, a former ballerina named Dominika Egorova finds her career ended by a tragic injury. To secure medical care for her ailing mother, she agrees to work for her uncle, a high-ranking official in the SVR. She is recruited into a specialized training program for 'Sparrows'—operatives who use sexpionage to gather intelligence. Her mission takes her to Budapest, where she must establish contact with Nate Nash, a CIA operative. As she navigates the treacherous world of international espionage, she must manage her role as a double agent while trying to uncover the identity of a mole within the Russian ranks.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being injured during a performance, ballerina Dominika Egorova is recruited by her uncle, a high-ranking SVR official, to become a 'Sparrow'—an operative using sexpionage. She is sent to Budapest to contact Nate Nash, a CIA operative. During the mission, she is forced to navigate the dangers of being a double agent. After a series of betrayals and the death of her fellow operative Marta, she convinces Nash to help her and her mother escape to America. Following a violent confrontation with the SVR operative Sergei Matorin, she discovers that the high-ranking official Korchnoi is actually the mole 'Marble.' To secure her safety and status, she frames her own superior, Ivan, as the mole. She successfully manipulates the situation, becoming a hero in Russia while the true mole is replaced by her. The film ends with her in Russia, living with her mother, and receiving a mysterious phone call that hints at a continuing connection.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 140
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Russian
- Directors
- Francis Lawrence
- Writers
- Justin Haythe · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Lawrence · Dominika Egorova; Joel Edgerton · Nate Nash; Matthias Schoenaerts · Sergei Matorin; Charlotte Rampling · Matron; Mary-Louise Parker · Marta; Jeremy Irons · Ivan; Ciarán Hinds · Vladimir Korchnoi
- Genres
- spy thriller; action
- Themes
- espionage; betrayal; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- tense; stylized
- Setting
- Modern-day Russia, Budapest, London, and the United States.
- Premise and plot tags
- spy thriller; ballet; double agent
- Source material / true-story basis
- Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews (2013)
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Jennifer Lawrence's performance but criticized the script's lack of depth, its long runtime, and its reliance on graphic violence and sex.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: 100 · review count: 51; Megacritic · score: 4.7 · scale: 10 · review count: more than 30
- Production trivia
- The production was advised by Jason Matthews, a former member of the CIA.; The film was edited for the UK release to remove a garroting scene.; The script was modified to remove the character of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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