By Paul Hall
Everyone deals with loss in a different manner. When it is unexpected and sudden, it can sometimes set off a spiral descent into a place that no human wants to inhabit. Such is the case for Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively) in the new film The Rhythm Section.
When we meet Stephanie, she is going by the name of Lisa, living a life as a prostitute and a junkie. But this was a life that chose her after the tragic accident that cost the lives of her mother, father, brother and sister. It was a plane crash that devastated many, but for Stephanie, it obliterated her. Now she tries to stay in a universe, even if only in her hallucinogenic mind, that includes those she loves.
A reporter finds Stephanie and informs her the plane crash was not an accident; it was deliberate. The man behind the bombing is known to authorities and he is a free man, as those in the know look to find his connection to others in the terrorist community. It takes some soul-searching for Stephanie to want to know more, but when she finally does, she will stop at nothing to find the killer.
Learning from a former MI6 agent known as B (Jude Law), she trains to do what needs to be done to eliminate the culprit and find a peace. But the road is filled with killers, agents, and death and destruction. Will Stephanie survive and find the peace she so desperately craves?
As the lead in The Rhythm Section, Lively brings everything she can as she grows in the film as Stephanie. She is definitely strong enough to carry the weight of her role both mentally and physically, and it shows.
Director Reed Morano allows Lively to shine in some dizzying first person perspective shots that feel like you are trekking across the globe as Stephanie. This is a film that leans hard on the power that lives within everyone.
Unfortunately, some of the plot bounces around more than the hot cup of coffee you try to drink on the morning commute. The veers in the storyline leave you wondering why and how, instead of focusing on the development of a woman who knows everything about blending in.
Despite momentary confusing twists within a journey that bounces between Tangier, New York, London and elsewhere, I kept coming back to how much I like Lively here. As an action hero, she has real acting chops as she can do the heavy lifting needed.
Finding rhythm makes everything else operate smoothly. Although The Rhythm Section takes some work and misses some notes along the way, it does eventually find its own choppy beat and provides a worthy vehicle for Lively’s talents and Morano’s style.
Paul’s Grade: B-
The Rhythm Section
Rated R
Stars: Blake Lively, Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown
Director: Reed Morano
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