Red Sparrow is a film that released on March 2, starring actress Jennifer Lawrence and actor Joel Edgerton. The film is labeled as a a suspense drama spy thriller, with a touch of mystery added to the mix. Lawrence plays a prima ballerina named Dominika Egorova, who encounters an unfortunate event in her life, causing her to become a recruit to the Russian government’s ‘Sparrow School.’ It’s a Russian intelligence service that trains recruits to be the best manipulators by using any means necessary, even putting their bodies on the line. Edgerton plays Nathaniel Nash, a C.I.A agent who crosses paths with Dominika, and may be the key to her survival. Or he will lead to her demise.

The story had an interesting concept about forcefully becoming a spy for the country that you’re apart of and be subjected to various extreme methods of training. Not to mention that it brings up the concept of if you choose to live a life dictated by others or to break free. However, the pace of the film was questionable. At times, it felt rushed to get to the main points and when it slowed down, the scenes felt drawn out. Lawrence did OK for what she was given, but there were times that her Russian accent was barely audible, to the point where it was non-existent. She also had a lot of blank expressions that felt like they could have been replaced with emotional choices. The movie attempted to push a romantic storyline, but it felt forced and not as developed to really even be considered one. A positive for this movie was that there were empowering moments for Lawrence’s character sprinkled in between the movie. If you’re planning to see this movie, forwarding this viewer discretion advice warning. The film is rated R, due mostly to scenes of torture, violence, sexual assault, and a rape scene.

In the end, the movie can be said to be a rental on Redbox on a Friday night type of movie. For those of you who have seen the movie already and weren’t satisfied, then pick up the book “Red Sparrow” by Jason Matthews. The book will fill in the plot holes poked in the film for run time purposes.