NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • All Blacks
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Review: Atomic Blonde is Charlize Thereon at full throttle

Dominic Corry
By Dominic Corry
NZ Herald·
3 Aug, 2017 03:00 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde, an action movie that's a great showcase for her buttkicking abilities.

Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde, an action movie that's a great showcase for her buttkicking abilities.

It used to be the case that a film described as resembling a music video was considered to be cutting-edge, aesthetically speaking. Now that the era of the music video has come and gone, the music video look is positively retro.

Atomic Blonde exists to embrace this aesthetic, from which it mines plenty of superficial entertainment value.

Employing a structure heavily reminiscent of Kiwi director Roger Donaldson's 1987 semi-classic No Way Out, the story is told in flashback as British secret agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Thereon) debriefs her superiors following an especially tumultuous mission in East and West Berlin in the days leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

The city's bubbling tensions make for an effective backdrop to the spy games, but the setting's main impact is felt in how well it correlates with the era-appropriate style that Atomic Blonde leans so heavily into. Gun-metal greys and soft blues permeate the screen while pitch-perfect music cues enhance the visuals. George Michael's Father Figure is particularly well-deployed.

Thereon is drop-dead awesome as an ass-kicking female agent, who more than lives up to the informal nickname Atomic Blonde has acquired: "Jane Wick". That comparison extends to the action choreography, which is consistently weighty and inventive. One bravura sequence has Thereon successively taking on a dozen henchmen as she fights her way down several flights of stairs, and it all appears to take place in one amazing tracking shot.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The film surrounds her with a stellar supporting cast - James McAvoy, Toby Jones, John Goodman, Eddie Marsan - but this is Charlize's show all the way. It may be little too concerned with dishing out twist after predictable twist, plot-wise, but that ultimately doesn't really matter when a film looks and feels this cool.

Atomic Blonde
Director: David Leitch
Cast: Charlize Thereon, John Goodman, James McAvoy
Rating:
Stars: 3.5
Verdict: One long music video that's nearly a knockout

DID YOU KNOW...

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Atomic Blonde is the directorial debut for David Leitch, who was assistant director on John Wick. To prepare for her role, Charlize Theron trained with Keanu Reeves, who was preparing for his return in the John Wick sequel.

Discover more

Entertainment

Star's tough diet: 'I think I'm dying'

14 Jul 08:02 PM
Entertainment

Move over Bond, there's a new spy in town

27 Jul 02:00 AM
Entertainment

Jay Z takes aim at Hollywood with Friends remake

05 Aug 08:31 AM
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

Trump announces Kennedy Centre honourees

New Zealand

'Distils the complexity': Book about Treaty of Waitangi scoops top prize

Entertainment

'Never had trouble with erections': Band dismiss AI-generated claims


Sponsored

Sponsored: What have you missed? Tips and tricks for home DIY

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

Hipkins says lawyers advised appearance would set precedent, concerns over abuse
Politics

Hipkins says lawyers advised appearance would set precedent, concerns over abuse

Woman dead, man critical after both shot by police in Christchurch overnight
Crime

Woman dead, man critical after both shot by police in Christchurch overnight

Trump announces Kennedy Centre honourees
Entertainment

Trump announces Kennedy Centre honourees

26 migrants die, 10 missing after boats sink off Italy's coast
World

26 migrants die, 10 missing after boats sink off Italy's coast

'Excited to see': Uber Eats expansion sparks buzz in Kaitāia
Northland Age

'Excited to see': Uber Eats expansion sparks buzz in Kaitāia

Adventure awaits: Why NZ has been named top spot for young travellers
Travel

Adventure awaits: Why NZ has been named top spot for young travellers



Latest from Entertainment

Trump announces Kennedy Centre honourees
Entertainment

Trump announces Kennedy Centre honourees

Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor and George Strait will receive honours.

13 Aug 07:38 PM
'Distils the complexity': Book about Treaty of Waitangi scoops top prize
New Zealand

'Distils the complexity': Book about Treaty of Waitangi scoops top prize

13 Aug 08:45 AM
'Never had trouble with erections': Band dismiss AI-generated claims
Entertainment

'Never had trouble with erections': Band dismiss AI-generated claims

13 Aug 08:01 AM


Sponsored: What have you missed? Tips and tricks for home DIY
Sponsored

Sponsored: What have you missed? Tips and tricks for home DIY

03 Aug 07:46 AM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
All-Access. All in one subscription.
Subscribe now

All-Access + BusinessDesk Weekly

Pay just
$10
$2
per week
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All-Access + BusinessDesk Annual

Pay just
$349
$49
per year
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search