The Rhythm Section

“Witness the birth of an assassin.”

Filmology Rating: 1.33 out of 4

The Rhythm Section was directed by Reed Morano as well as eight executive producers looking over her shoulder.  It stars Blake Lively as a woman who seeks revenge against those who orchestrated a plane crash that killed her family.

If you've seen the film 'American Assassin,' then you're in for the female, more boring version of that film: an everyday individual loses someone close to them so they take it upon themselves to train in a remote location with someone who used to be part of an intelligence agency to get revenge on terrorists. However, 'The Rhythm Section' just simply executed that material very poorly.

The main thing to note is that the film starts in the middle of a story for little logical reason. We always hear mention of Stephanie's (Blake Lively) parents who died in a plane crash that was due to a terrorist attack, but at no point in the film do we ever see that traumatic event. Instead, there are constant flashbacks to Stephanie as a kid as an attempt to give her more emotional depth.

It would have been a far better narrative, and character for that matter, if the film started with the plane crash and we went through that trauma with Stephanie. Instead, the film begins and that traumatic event already happened and she's sad; it creates this huge disconnect from an emotionally distraught character who constantly makes all the wrong decisions. 

This film's editing is very strange. Usually when you watch a movie, there is a beat to the scene and the audience usually can tell when there may be a cut or when the scene is ending. However, in this film, there are awkward edits in every scene that are accompanied by this sharp contrast of music that makes it seem like a 'Mission Impossible' film, which 'The Rhythm Section' is so far from. It's as if you were sitting in a hot tub and someone suddenly pours a bucket of cold water over your head.

It's also void of any energy or style. The dialogue scenes extend only to shot-reverse-shot. The action scenes are very handheld and shaky. The entire film itself is just a slog. 'Gretel and Hansel' was slow, but it built to something. 'The Rhythm Section' is one of those rare films that releases nowadays that just has absolutely nothing to it other than "it's just okay." The last film like that was probably 'The Snowman.' It's the type of film that has no subtext to where you ask yourself why the film was even made. It certainly wasn't to entertain people. So what's the reason?

The lack of emotional connection to the protagonist, thin story with no ramp, strange editing, and poor script makes 'The Rhythm Section' a film void of fun, excitement, or satisfaction.

Rating: Let It Burn

-Nolan