Item: The Rhythm Section
Rating: 6
Author: Matt Rooney

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

What makes the espionage thriller – either in novel form or a movie version of that novel – so reliable for dedicated fans and a chore for everyone else is that you could step into any story and expect to see the same cast of characters and webs of intrigue, betrayal and deception (and maybe even the peppering of a steamy love affair) as you would any other entry. The latest edition in the cinematic canon – THE RHYTHM SECTION – doesn’t fail to hit any of those expected beats and, for the most part, in any way that would suggest the filmmakers are trying to do anything different with the formula. However, what makes for saving grace is the powerhouse work from star Blake Lively at its core, who pushes herself so deep into a physically and emotionally challenging role, and all alongside a director, Reed Morano, who knows exactly what to do with her.

The story of a woman trying to overcome the tragic loss of her family in an airplane bombing, Lively’s Stephanie Patrick is swept out of her broken world and into a world of, yes, intrigue and deception in hopes of tracking down the men who committed the heinous act. We’re introduced to her as a shell of her former self, with flashbacks recalling her playing cards at family get-togethers and posing for family photos after. Whatever pleasant side of her seen there is gone, though, as she’s dug herself into a life of drugs and prostitution in her grief. Surely there’s a huge chunk of the story about how she got to that point that would have been fascinating to see, and if indeed it’s all in the book by Mark Burnell (who also wrote the script), none of that made it to the screen. But this is where we meet Patrick, and Lively wastes no time making the character instantly gripping.

How she does it is by getting the most out of her character’s early moments, which are hinged on pure physicality. Aside from a moment where she discovers the truth behind what happened to her family, the first 10-20 minutes offer her little dialogue, with Lively conveying so much internal pain with a withdrawn, guarded stance and movements that show just how close to giving up she is. In a world of movies filled with female action stars marketed as being sexy as well as ass-kicking, it’s a breath of fresh air to see a character so de-glamorized, emotionally scarred and vulnerable. Lively taps into all the raw subtleties that make you feel for her and want her so badly to succeed, weaving between pure sadness and anger. She turns in a powerhouse performance in such small ways, and a ton of credit in showcasing her work goes to Morano behind the camera.

Morano – who has done some excellent, visceral work as a director on the show THE HANDMAID’S TALE – understood that the journey of Lively’s Stephanie Patrick – and the performance itself – is where the movie’s most gripping material is, and she hones in on her with unrelenting precision. After uncovering some information and making her way to Scotland to meet up with a former MI6 agent (Jude Law), Patrick begins her action-star training so as to hunt men down and exact her vengeance. Whereas other action-revenge-espionage thrillers would relish in getting into some stylish, bloody elements, Morano always maintains a character-centric approach, keeping a close camera on her leading hero’s face, which always keeps us in her perspective and in a grounded place. Instead of getting action from all angles and with a series of flashy cuts, the camera stays fixed on Patrick in car chases, gunfights, and even some brawling. In doing so it’s easy to relate to Patrick’s struggles. She’s not an action hero, and she’s completely out of her depth and skill set. With an unflinching, honest lens, Morano ensures we see her fear and struggle in varying scenarios, and Lively doesn’t miss a beat throughout it all.

Such a strong, character-centric approach to the material, as well as a focus on natural lighting over style and flash, makes this outing feel a bit more grounded than the typical fare, which is a welcome change of pace from what audiences are used to. Not only that, but it got me rooting for the hero in certain action settings in ways I don’t often anymore. She's not taking out a whole room of thugs with a single bread knife and walking away unscathed. Patrick is so vulnerable and out of her element in all these scenarios, and with each new fight or moment of chaos, there are moments to wonder how she will get out of the next jam. Again, so much of that is linked with the physicality and how Lively carries the character, and how Morano showcases her. On a visceral level that’s all worthy of praise, even if I wished the script dug as much into the character’s mental and emotional status after each trial or discovery.

And it’s here where the movie fails to overcome the tropes and formulaic tendencies of the genre and where the movie loses much of what it has going for it. Down in the dumps and rising out of it all like an ass-kicking phoenix should have felt more triumphant, but the script and a somewhat lethargic tone fail to uncover any emotional growth in favor of keeping things rather bleak. Even if the aim of the story is to find Patrick not changing as a person and finding some happiness, but rather channeling her rage and grief into something that can be used for good, so many of the story beats and character developments can feel monotonous that it all feels like a blur. As much as I want to, and do, root for the character there’s something missing that allowed me to connect with her emotional struggle on a deeper level. She spends so much time talking about the next target and what to do that she never gets to reflect on things in meaningful ways. Even a love scene with Sterling K. Brown’s character, an informant for pay, seems to come out of nowhere and have no energy or passion – which is a greater crime than I’m letting on.

The side characters don’t help this much. Law plays the stern ex-operative character with a jaded past, and as much as it’s entertaining to see him train Patrick in a dry, comedic, no-bullshit kind of way, he can play this character in his sleep. Then there’s Brown as a man who sells information for cash, but this character does no favors for him, especially after some Oscar-worthy work in last year’s WAVES. He's left to be the blank canvas who could be up to anything but is just one more element that fails to live above predictable and rudderless. Both of these characters have very serious demeanors to match the dour tone, and they can’t help but blend in with it all and fail to leave any sort of mark. They sound the same, have the same small bursts of charm, and don’t have an ounce of the screen presence as Lively has.

Through this all there’s a story about hunting down a bomb maker and tracking and killing other people who have links to the death of Patrick’s family, but its structure and plotting have been seen in movies and read in airport novels hundreds of times. You could tune out and lose track of who this shady person is and what they’re doing with that other shadier person and still make it to the end fine. The reason to tune in is to see Lively deliver a powerhouse performance in a challenging action-thriller lead role and to see Morano further establish herself as a director with a precise eye and knack for action. Everything else is material best left in bargain bins and carry-on bags headed to Houston.