The Rhythm Section

“Blake Lively stars as Stephanie Patrick, a woman on a path of self-destruction after her family is tragically killed in a plane crash. When she discovers the wreck was no accident, Stephanie enters the dark, complex world of international espionage seeking vengeance. Her search leads her to Iain Boyd (Jude Law), a form MI6 agent who trains her to hunt down those responsible. With nothing left to lose, Stephanie transforms from victim to assassin and discovers that neither revenge nor the truth are what they appear to this action-packed thriller from the producers of James Bond.”

The Rhythm Section opens in Tangier as Stephanie Patrick cautiously approaches someone from behind, gun drawn, ready to fire. 8 months prior, we learn the story that has brought her to this moment, as she remembers her family, full of life and love, killed in a plane crash three years earlier. Her life has spiraled out of control because of this, leading to a life of drugs and prostitution, anything to numb the pain she feels. One day she’s visited by Keith Proctor (Raza Jaffrey), a free-lance journalist who tells her he has proof that the plane crash was no accident, but the result of a terrorist attack, and he is tracking the people responsible. Reluctant at first, she eventually hears what he has to say and pours through the information that his source, a person in the intelligence circles he only refers to as ‘B’, has given him. This points to a bombmaker in London named Reza Mohammed (Tawfeek Barhom) who is attending an Engineering school close by. Making a rash decision, she decides to find him and kill him, but can’t work up the nerve to do anything when she comes face to face with him. Realizing her backpack with all the files has been stolen, she tries to get back to Proctor’s home, finding that her backpack as lead them straight to him. With nowhere else to turn, she follows a set of coordinates on a map and finds Proctor’s source, who begins to train her to take down the people responsible.

The Rhythm Section is a story about vengeance and the lengths someone would go to in order to get a sense of justice for their family. Revenge stories are often appealing, to me at least, mainly because of the inner struggle the characters undoubtedly go through as the story progresses. That sense of justice they need to right a wrong they’ve been done continues to grow, thinking it will be quelled when those responsible have been hurt or killed, but at what cost? The journey often takes its toll, physically and mentally, and that journey of change is usually quite satisfying. In this film, Stephanie Patrick can’t sink any lower, hooked on drugs, becoming a prostitute to dull her existence so she can live without the constant reminder of the family she lost, feeling guilt and remorse for being the only one in the family alive. Her character’s transformation is very, very gradual, and that’s what I liked most about it. She didn’t go from the bottom of the barrel to secret agent overnight. It was wrought with challenges, hardships, physical and mental abuse and training, and even then, she’s no expert. The way she stumbles through her first assignment shows just how real this character feels, and how lost she is in what she’s trying to accomplish.

Blake Lively is unrecognizable as Stephanie Patrick, especially in the first half of the film, emaciated, strung out, weak, with a very impressive physical transformation as she really puts her all into this character. She’s someone that I truly believed was the person they were portraying on screen; a really phenomenal job on her part. Jude Law also delivers a strong performance as her trainer and mentor. He’s a tough character, calculating and knowledgeable, but also very mysterious. Throughout the film I really couldn’t get a read on his character, if he was helping her for ulterior motives or not. But regardless, he is a strong presence that helps propel the story forward.

One of the things I liked best about the film was how clumsy the action seemed, because it was real. With this woman having no prior training whatsoever, with a frail build thanks to excessive drug use, it’s no wonder she has difficulties throughout the action sequences in the film. However, the focus of the story gets a bit clumsy as well, when they begin talking about the identity of U17, code name for an unidentified terrorist suspect. Even though the trail of people connected to terrorist attacks are probably endless and complex, for a narrative it is probably better to not make it as complicated so the audience can follow the story coherently. The identity of U17 is a mystery throughout the film until the very end, obviously, and when the person is revealed, it just doesn’t carry the weight I thought it would have when it was all said and done.

Video

The Rhythm Section is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.39:1. The transfer looks exceptional, with very clear and detailed image. Color balance looks good, with the story taking place in many different locations highlighting the color depth with the bright and yellowish hues of the Middle Eastern countries, and the darker, more muted colors of London. The choreographed action sequences look spectacular, and don’t rely on quick jump cuts that some action films rely on these days. Overall it’s a beautifully made film and looks great on Blu-Ray.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. This track is perhaps the best technical part about the film, as the 7.1 channels boast a powerful track, with good balance between the surrounds and center channel. The action sequences will give your surrounds a powerful workout, providing nice range between the bullets whizzing by, explosions, dialogue, etc. The score is perfect at providing intense accompanying music that amplifies the action sequences quite nicely.

Special Features

The film boasts over 40 minutes of bonus content, plenty of material to work your way through if you want to learn more about the film and behind the scenes stuff.

• Deleted & Extended Scenes
• Stephanie’s Journey
• Fight or Flight
• Never Leave Second Gear
• One Shot Explosion
• Designing The Rhythm Section

The Rhythm Section highlights an incredible journey for a woman seeking revenge on the people who are responsible for the death of her family. It unfortunately didn’t get a fair deal on its release during the shutdown of the world, so here’s hoping that it may find legs on home-release, as it very much deserves some attention. Thrilling, visceral, and real, check out The Rhythm Section today.