It has taken only one month, yet we have an early 2020 contender for the most conspicuous name for a motion picture. Sadly, the awards season hasn’t capitalised on this category, but The Rhythm Section certainly is a leading contender. A revenge espionage thriller starring Blake Lively certainly could have a more boring title. Nevertheless, colour me intrigued for an action film starring Lively, produced by Eon Productions (of James Bond fame), and even flanked by a talented supporting cast in Jude Law and Sterling K. Brown. Lively stars as Stephanie Patrick, a promising Oxford student who seeks the truth after finding out a plane crash which killed her family three years prior. Sounds cheery.

Sterling K. Brown and Jude Law also put in decent supporting roles despite their somewhat limited material

Of course, with a premise like this, it does require a grounded and vulnerable performance from Blake Lively, which she provides. Patrick starts The Rhythm Section in which her life is totally out of her control, a blurry mess of moments completely discordant and flat. Her progression to a character gaining a sense of purpose feels solidly realised throughout the runtime. Sterling K. Brown and Jude Law also put in decent supporting roles despite their somewhat limited material, and it can be said that The Rhythm Section looks to tackle the consequences of action and the moral contradictions of revenge through some admittedly tried-and-tested techniques that won’t entirely surprise audiences, but it does give substance to the fights and espionage. In addition, one would hope that a film with the given title would be backed up by an excellent score. Steve Mazzaro does a decent job in this regard, certainly aiding with tension in key scenes which require it. Whilst not a particularly incredible score, it does what is required of any good score and be an excellent accompaniment to the film’s visual flavour.

However, when it comes down to it, too many of The Rhythm Section’s notes have nothing to add up to except to be flat – or a sharp if you prefer. As mentioned earlier, this is a film which has a character experiencing an immense grieving process which never really ceases through the film and grounded action. The biggest shame then is the inconsistent tone that plagues The Rhythm Section’s 109-minute runtime. Licensed music such as Elvis Presley’s ‘It’s Now or Never’ or ‘Straight Shooter’ by The Mamas and The Papas feel completely out of left-field and lack any sense of awareness of the film’s grim tone, made particularly apparent by it’s dour opening which instils so much grim that the Reaper himself would find it a bit much. Of course, there’s nothing inherently bad in contrasting darkness with light through the audio choices, but these tracks never feel seamlessly integrated. More just window-dressing in scenes that move the plot along.

The film spends far too long looking to fill time in the first half with ultimately inconsequential and meaningless scenes that have little thematic resonance

Speaking of said plot, its poor construction sadly hurts a lot of the aspects of The Rhythm Section. There are no real issues to speak of in terms of the logical progression. There are no real issues with plot holes. However, the screenplay and plot presented here sadly hurt the tempo of The Rhythm Section. The film spends far too long looking to fill time in the first half with ultimately inconsequential and meaningless scenes that have little thematic resonance. This results in some rushed aspects of the second half that then leave the finale feeling emotionally empty, and lacking in any catharsis or weight as the film closes.

[Lively’s] progression to a character gaining a sense of purpose feels solidly realised throughout the runtime

Of course, this is an action film at its core. So regardless of these issues, if the film can score points with its action then it can work. Sadly, The Rhythm Section is sorely lacking in this regard. The big issue here as with quite a bit of the film is the handheld camera, which is massively overused. It makes sense early on when Patrick is in emotional turmoil. That physical closeness allows the audience to be with her and understand her pain through just being more present. However, it adds little else and, in action scenes, serves as a hindrance to what seems like some strong choreography. One solid action sequence is a hand-to-hand fight between Lively and Law. Part of the reason it works is in the fact it’s the only action scene that steps back from the fight and allows the audience to observe it rather than get close in and lose the sense of perspective. Morano’s approach isn’t unfounded; most of the conflicts in the film occur between characters with personal grudges, so there is a temptation to be within their space. However, this desire ultimately hurts most of The Rhythm Section‘s key action beats as opposed to aiding them.

What we end up with ultimately is disappointing but not without merit, and there is certainly some potential here. But The Rhythm Section ultimately is a film which feels off-key and out of tune with both itself and the audience.

Verdict:

A solid revenge-film with strong performances and a reasonable look at revenge and its morality, ultimately undone by a lack of tonal consistency and any memorable action.

5/10

The Rhythm Section is in cinemas now.

Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.