Things change, sooner or later, for better or worse. Since 1962, Everything or Nothing (EON) Productions has been making movies based on a series of novels, centered around the character of James Bond. As it turns out, though it be a rare occurrence, a total of five, additional films have also been made, outside of the 007 franchise. Although one was made shortly after the James Bond movies first began, the rest have been made within the past several years.
The latest offering, “The Rhythm Section,” is a project directed by cinematographer turned director, Reed Morano. She began her career, in the film industry, around 2007. She has taken on the role of both director AND cinematographer for the same movie, but elected to bring along Sean Bobbitt as cinematographer, in this case.
The screenplay was adapted from the novel of the same name and was written by the same man: Mark Burnell. While production of the film began almost three years ago, delays pushed the release date to our present time, in early 2020.
“The Rhythm Section” begins with a woman, our story’s protagonist, attempting to get the drop on a supposedly unsuspecting target before taking us away to another moment, months prior. Stephanie Patrick, played by Blake Lively (“A Simple Favor”), is wasting away in a life of drugs and prostitution, as she relives memories of a family, which is now deceased, via an airplane crash. It was not an accident, but an act of terrorism.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Stephanie is coaxed into leaving this lifestyle for one of redemption and vengeance by a journalist, Keith Proctor, played by Raza Jaffrey (“Cliffs of Freedom”). Through a series of discoveries and revelations, Stephanie is led to someone who can be of assistance in helping her in her plight: Iain Boyd, played by Jude Law (“Captain Marvel”). 
THIS is where the story really takes shape and becomes more intriguing. Stephanie, as it turns out, is not ideally-equipped to be any kind of assassin or field operative, but Iain, a former member of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), is willing to train her. There are stepping stones along the way, including a cleverly-choreographed fighting sequence between the two characters. Naturally, Iain has a clear advantage, but Stephanie shows some potential and things go on the up-and-up from there. In the process, the concept of rhythm, as it applies to the training, is brought up, but then buried for the remainder of the story.
Stephanie and Iain work together to break down a team of terrorists, which was supposedly behind the bombing that killed her family. Along the way, she encounters a man who is connected to the underworld, but does not appear to be directly involved with the operation. Marc Serra, played by Sterling K Brown (“Frozen II”), might be the most interesting character throughout this story, but his screen time is somewhat limited. 
He and Stephanie develop their own chemistry, independent of Iain. Eventually, Stephanie seems to be working for two, separate entities. However, things are not all that they appear to be and when it is all said and done, the tables are turned more than once, favoring our protagonist.
For the first third of the movie, I thought that flashback sequences were going to destroy the flow of the entire film. The lack of any prior knowledge or connection to the main character made it difficult to connect with her emotions and her struggles. Unlike other femme fatale roles from the past several years, she was not highly competent, which gave her a certain vulnerability that I think has been lacking in these kinds of films, lately. I expected great production value and it did not disappoint me. I found myself beginning to like the movie, late, and it almost won me over, completely.
I would say that I liked more about this film than I did NOT like, but the flaws were fundamental and a bit glaring. The final plot twist was effective, but could have been MORE effective with the proper execution of story-telling. I would be curious to see if EON decides to create some sort of a cross-over between Stephanie Patrick and James Bond, even if it is something subtle that only the true fans can see and appreciate. For now, I am content with liking “The Rhythm Section” as a pretty good movie and I am only looking forward to what else 2020 has to offer. So far, it has been solid.
Director: Reed Morano
Screenwriter: Mark Burnell
Music: Steve Mazzaro
Starring: Blake Lively, Jude Law, Sterling K Brown, Max Casella as Leon Giler, Daniel Mays as Dean West, Geoff Bell as Green, Richard Brake as Lehmans, Raza Jaffrey and Tawfeek Barhom as Reza
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Release: January 31st, 2020
