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The Rhythm Section

A review by Brooks Rich

So I saw this movie awhile ago and it's taken me this long to write a review. It's a very middle of the road film. There's nothing inherently wrong with this film but nothing that really makes it stand out save for one very impressive scene. This film did not do well and had the worst wide opening weekend of all time at the box office.

Blake Lively plays a prostitute whose family died in a plane crash a few years back that was actually a terrorist attack. She eventually decides to track down those responsible for the attack, no matter the cost. I say eventually because my God this film takes it's sweet ass time in the first act.

The main issue people will have with this film is that it takes so long to get going. The film just feels the need to tell you over and over again that her family were very nice, they died in a plane crash, and that she's sad about it. Once she meets up with ex MI6 agent Jude Law the film picks up a little but then gets bogged down in a training montage.

The film's back half is better than the front half. Once the revenge mission starts the movie does find some momentum. Three of us from the blog saw this together and we all agreed that a car chase in the second half is one of the most innovative takes on the car crash in a long time. It's nothing like what you'll find in a Fast and Furious film but it is an interesting way to film a car chase. Full credit to Reed Morano for this sequence, which is the highlight of the film.

Blake Lively does her best here. She really does. She makes this script work as well as it can. Without her this might be unwatchable. In the end The Rhythm Section is doomed to be a film that I forget I saw in six months. And maybe that's for the best.

2.5/5


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