Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Atomic Blonde 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Blondes Just Wanna Have 4K

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 31, 2017

Ah, the 1980s. Great music, cool culture, and the Cold War. Fun times. Scary times. The world is a drastically different place now, just some three decades later, radically altered by the fall of the wall and the exponential, meteoric rise in technological progress. It almost makes the spy story of Atomic Blonde seem quaint, in which secret rendezvous, good old-fashioned pursuits based on human intelligence, and coded messages transmitted in crude but effective ways were the means of silently fighting the Cold War at its hottest flashpoint in Germany. Of course, there's also plenty of raw action in one of the most gritty and cool Action flicks in some time. Director David Leitch's (making his "official" feature film debut following uncredited work on the highly regraded John Wick) is a time capsule of sight and sound, a Spy film fully embedded in and defined by its time. Rather than Bond tuxedos and martinis, Blonde makes hardcore blood-and-guts action and infectious 80s beats its lifeblood. The film certainly maneuvers through genre tropes, but it's defined by its period, not its narrative, by its muscle, not its brain, resulting in a movie that's more or less empty in the center but engaging on the surface.

Berlin, Germany, 1989. The wall has yet to come down, and the East-West spy game remains increasingly intense and lethal. When a list of agent names -- a list that, if it were to fall into the wrong hands, could extended the Cold War by as long as four decades -- is taken from a murdered MI6 operative, Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron), herself a member of MI6, is called in to retrieve it. Her contact is David Percival (James McAvoy) whom she suspects may be more deeply involved in an unfolding conspiracy than anyone realizes. She finds herself a target and forced to fight for her life in order to retrieve and protect the information, even as the world changes before her eyes.

Atomic Blonde is a sight-and-sound picture that just works. The film's plot -- despite existing in the narratively rich, politically dense, and harrowingly dangerous world of divided Germany in the time of the Berlin Wall, Reagan, Gorbachev, and mutually assured destruction -- is about as wafer-thin as they come, reliant on crude spy game maneuverings centered around a "list" that could extended the length of the cold war by as much as four decades. None of that really matters. The basic plot is little more than a propellant to move the film from one action scene to the next, to absorb the audience not in dramatic details and the political quagmires on the ground level of the Cold War but rather indulge in the sultry curves and high octane music that truly shape the film. The movie is brimming with an infectious 80s flair and flavor. It's completely absorbed in its culture, from lighting to music, with the latter in particular its lifeblood as songs from George Michael and After the Fire blare atop the film's expertly choreographed fight scenes. Atomic Blonde nails the approach of style over substance, and while the central plot might still leave some audiences wanting more, there's no mistaking the film's credentials as a top-flight entertainer that knows its way around its timeframe, its sex, its sounds, and its violence.

The film certainly favors its graphic novel origins (based on the story The Coldest City as created by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart), taking on a (reservedly) stylized look and feel that's often devoid of significant color but still capable of feeling fresh and invigorating thanks in large part to the complimentary 80s structure and sounds. The film's action scenes, in connection with its music, yield expert choreography and timing that stays in beat, the two necessary and fully entwined compliments. That said, the film's best action sequence comes entirely without music a little past the midway point, a raw, intense knock-down, drag-out fight in close spaces in which Theron's character goes ups against a handful of well-armed, stout, and determined male foes. Theron is on the top of her game in this sequence and throughout, physically dedicated to the part, stripping bare in several scenes, including one in which she sexually engages with another woman, while dominating action with impressively hyper-realistic fisticuffs, gun fights, and ability to make use of various props as she takes down men who are larger and better equipped. The supporting cast falls perfectly into role and melts into the movie. Goodman and Jones play smaller but critical roles while McAvoy absorbs himself into a culture caricature, smoking and swilling Jack like there's tomorrow, while adding an air of mystery to a part, and a movie, that finds a unique balance between traditional genre narrative tropes and a frenzied style that makes it one of the more unique takes on a somewhat stale genre, here infused by an infectiously detailed look into a fascinating and culturally and politically evolving and dangerous time period.

Atomic Blonde 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

Atomic Blonde is a rather basic digitally shot film which was photographed at a resolution below 4K and subsequently upscaled from a 2K digital intermediate. This is a good image and represents a modest, but obvious, upgrade from the Blu-ray, one that doesn't make a huge impact in 4K but that should satisfy those in search of superior detailing and color reproduction. The 216p/HDR (plus Dolby Vision, which Blu-ray.com cannot yet review but is exploring equipment options for a future upgrade) presentation offers a tangible uptick in overall image sharpness and definition. Skin tones are noticeably tighter and more complex, finding increased definition in pores, facial hair, even densely applied makeup seen in close-up. Textural improvements extend beyond characters as well, revealing a sharper, cleaner selection of the varied environments seen throughout the film. Colors aren't drastically different, but the increase in depth and vividness of various neon colors is clear. Skin tones and support hues earn a pleasing increase in nuance and accuracy as well, though as was the case with the Blu-ray, the UHD is limited by the movie's predominantly bleak filtering that only occasionally allows for a robust explosion of color. Noise is kept in check but still evident. No other major source or encode issues are apparent.

Atomic Blonde 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Atomic Blonde's DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack carries the film's high-energy sound requirements with ease, accuracy, and aggression. Music is notably large and spacious with pinpoint clarity to everything from sharp guitar riffs to spirited and spunky 80s pop songs, supported by effortless stage envelopment and crisp, tight bass. The track offers a sense of expansive spaciousness to both music and environments. The overhead component doesn't often offer any discrete effects but does help create a compelling sound field that opens up various environments with startling accuracy. Action scenes are made much more riveting by the intense engagement and aggression of gunfire, which pops and zips with plenty of power. The most startlingly detailed action scene comes in chapter 15 when music entirely gives way to shots and crashes, and the sole focus on action only allows the track to amplify the raw power on display. Additional effects, such as pressure underwater at the 82 minute mark or simple dialogue and music in more cavernous locations where reverberation and spacing are much more naturally pronounced, make a number of scenes practically reference quality. Indeed, the track's ability to find the perfect sense of space in all directions is its greatest asset. Crisp, clean, well prioritized and positioned dialogue round out a superb listening experience.

Atomic Blonde 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Atomic Blonde's UHD release contains no new bonus content, but it does carry over the audio commentary track from the Blu-ray. All other extras (as well s the commentary) can be found on the bundled Blu-ray disc and are listed below. A UV/iTunes digital copy code is also included with purchase.

• Deleted/Extended Scenes (1080p, 7:23 total runtime): Russian Driver, Hidden Stash, Nice to Meet You, Not Afraid of Love, Broughton's Promise, and Watch for Sale.
• Welcome to Berlin (1080p, 4:33): A closer look at the role the city as it was in 1989 plays in the film. It also examines the shooting locations and production design.
• Blondes Have More Gun (1080p, 7:01): Charlize Theron discusses what drew her to the role. This extra also covers the film's structure, David Leitch's direction, actor training for the film, the challenges of the shoot, and more.
• Spymaster (1080p, 4:18): This piece focuses on the qualities Director David Leitch brought to the film.
• Anatomy of a Fight Scene (1080p, 7:52): Making the protracted fight sequence from the middle of the film. This piece shows the sequence with a picture-in-picture director commentary, split screen with behind the scenes footage, and some full screen behind the scenes clips with the movie playing in the smaller box. This is a fun piece.
• Story in Motion (1080p): Animated storyboards for two scenes. Included are Agent Broughton (2:16) and The Chase (1:38). With optional Director David Leitch commentary.
• Audio Commentary: Director David Leitch and Editor Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir deliver an insightful track that covers the source material and the title, cast and performances, action, technical details behind the film's assemblage, photography, the era in which the film takes place, and plenty more. A solid track in support of a good movie.

Atomic Blonde 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In Atomic Blonde, there's a scarcity of compelling narrative content and thematic purpose, but the film is teeming with raw and intense action and era-specific and expertly integrated sights and sounds. The movie is, really, an empty shell when it comes right down to it, recycling basic genre tropes and maneuvers, but it's in the flash, the style, that allows it to easily overcome the dearth of substance, particularly as it relates to the basic storyline. The action is cool, the actors are committed, and the film is one of the more uniquely enjoyable takes on the spy genre in some time. Sick of Bond? Go Blonde. Universal's UHD delivers solid video, excellent audio, and a fair allotment of bonus content. Recommended.