# Atomic Blonde
**Atomic Blonde** is a 2017 American action spy thriller directed by [David Leitch](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-leitch), starring [Charlize Theron](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlize-theron) as MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton, who is sent to Berlin in 1989, days before the fall of the [Berlin Wall](https://www.edgepedia.org/berlin-wall), to recover a dossier listing Western intelligence agents before it reaches the KGB.[1](https://www.focusfeatures.com/atomicblonde) • [2](https://time.com/4874478/charlize-theron-atomic-blonde/) The film is adapted from the Oni Press graphic novel *The Coldest City* by Antony Johnston and illustrator Sam Hart, with a screenplay by Kurt Johnstad.[3](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/atomic-blonde) It was Leitch's first credited solo directing effort, following his co-direction of *John Wick* (2014).[4](https://sightlines.media/film/341013/atomic-blonde-2017)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | July 28, 2017; rated R; running time 115 minutes[1](https://www.focusfeatures.com/atomicblonde) • [5](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/atomic-blonde/) |
| Director / writer | David Leitch; screenplay by Kurt Johnstad[3](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/atomic-blonde) |
| Source | Oni Press graphic novel *The Coldest City* by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart[3](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/atomic-blonde) |
| Lead cast | Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella, Toby Jones[1](https://www.focusfeatures.com/atomicblonde) |
| Setting | West and East Berlin in 1989, five days before the Wall falls[2](https://time.com/4874478/charlize-theron-atomic-blonde/) |
| Signature sequence | A roughly 10-minute stairwell and apartment fight presented as one take, reported to be assembled from nearly 40 shots[6](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/aug/13/atomic-blonde-lean-neon-lit-thriller-charlize-theron-james-mcavoy) |
| Reception | 79% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 365 reviews; Metacritic metascore 63[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atomic_blonde_2017) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/atomic-blonde/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and setting
Lorraine Broughton, described by the studio as MI6's most lethal assassin, is sent alone into Cold War Berlin to deliver a priceless dossier out of the destabilized city.[1](https://www.focusfeatures.com/atomicblonde) There she partners with the embedded station chief David Percival ([James McAvoy](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-mcavoy)), a British agent who has "gone native," and encounters Delphine Lasalle ([Sofia Boutella](https://www.edgepedia.org/sofia-boutella)), a French agent, and Spyglass ([Eddie Marsan](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-marsan)), a Stasi officer who wants to defect and has the list of spy identities memorized.[3](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/atomic-blonde) • [9](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/atomic-blonde) The Soviet side is represented mainly through East German Stasi henchmen and the KGB officer Aleksander Bremovych (Roland Møller).[10](https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/13382/3/13382.pdf) The story is framed as flashbacks from a bloodied Lorraine's chilly debriefing by her handlers, played by Toby Jones and John Goodman.[9](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/atomic-blonde) The closing scenes expose Lorraine as a CIA operative from the United States who had been deceiving two sides at once: the Russians, who took her for a double agent, and the British, who thought she was working for them.[10](https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/13382/3/13382.pdf)
The setting is Berlin in 1989, five days before the Wall falls, with news broadcasts about the collapsing East German regime superimposed over the spies still operating in the city.[2](https://time.com/4874478/charlize-theron-atomic-blonde/) • [5](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/atomic-blonde/) The period is conjured through production design, costume, and the soundtrack rather than by mimicking 1989 filmmaking; the film applies a hyper-saturated, music-video-derived contemporary gloss to the period world.[4](https://sightlines.media/film/341013/atomic-blonde-2017) Lorraine's look, including garter belts, tight sweaters, and a white pleather coat, was inspired by the German photographer [Helmut Newton](https://www.edgepedia.org/helmut-newton).[2](https://time.com/4874478/charlize-theron-atomic-blonde/)
### Sequel
A sequel, *Atomic Blonde 2*, was reported in 2020 as a planned Netflix exclusive film, but development stalled.[22](https://thedirect.com/article/atomic-blonde-2-sequel-development) In May 2025 Theron told *Elle* that the sequel appears to no longer be moving forward, eight years after the original's release, saying the moment had been passed.[23](https://www.aol.com/articles/charlize-theron-says-atomic-blonde-142020000.html)
## Adaptation
The film is based on *The Coldest City*, written by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Sam Hart.[3](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/atomic-blonde) Before Oni Press had even published the graphic novel, the adaptation was already slated to star Charlize Theron; the film reached theaters five years after the comic's release.[11](https://www.wweek.com/arts/2017/08/14/we-talked-to-the-portland-comic-book-publisher-behind-atomic-blonde/) One change from the page: the character Delphine, a fellow spy whom Lorraine seduces, was originally a man in the graphic novel.[2](https://time.com/4874478/charlize-theron-atomic-blonde/) Theron's production company had optioned the Cold War story some seven years before release.[2](https://time.com/4874478/charlize-theron-atomic-blonde/)
## Action and the stairwell sequence
Leitch came to the film from a stunt background, having co-directed *John Wick* with [Chad Stahelski](https://www.edgepedia.org/chad-stahelski), and his method treats choreography with the rigor usually reserved for dialogue, training performers to execute extended sequences while the camera serves the body's movement.[4](https://sightlines.media/film/341013/atomic-blonde-2017) The film's budget was $30 million.[12](https://www.gq.com/story/atomic-blonde-david-leitch)
**The long-take fight.** The film's centerpiece is a protracted fight through an [East Berlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-berlin) apartment building and stairwell, in which Lorraine protects the defecting Spyglass from Russian and East German agents and appears to unfold in a single take.[5](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/atomic-blonde/) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/aug/13/atomic-blonde-lean-neon-lit-thriller-charlize-theron-james-mcavoy) The Guardian reported that the appearance of a one-take sequence was created by seamlessly stitching together nearly 40 separate shots; Leitch told *Rolling Stone* that it was assembled from 20-plus shots using old-school camera tricks such as whip-pans and frames to create split-screens, with digital effects a last resort.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/aug/13/atomic-blonde-lean-neon-lit-thriller-charlize-theron-james-mcavoy) • [13](https://au.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/atomic-blonde-director-how-i-made-five-kick-ass-action-sequences-1938/) • [14](https://www.wired.com/story/atomic-blonde-killer-action-sequence/) Stunt coordinator and second unit director Sam Hargrave choreographed the scene and operated the camera himself.[15](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/atomic-blonde-turned-one-amazing-223308863.html)
Theron performed much of the fighting herself. Before filming she trained four hours a day at 87Eleven, the gym Leitch founded with Stahelski, for six to eight weeks, concentrating on realistic moves a woman could use against a 6 ft. 4 in. opponent: roundhouse and low leg kicks, throat chops, and elbow and knee strikes for power and leverage.[2](https://time.com/4874478/charlize-theron-atomic-blonde/) • [16](https://www.wired.com/video/watch/atomic-blonde-stunts) Leitch argued there was no reason to "make allowances for the fact that she's a woman," and the fight choreography shows Lorraine fatigued, bloodied, and struggling to stand, using improvised weapons such as a corkscrew, a hot plate, and keys.[2](https://time.com/4874478/charlize-theron-atomic-blonde/) Padded floors and printed foam mats let performers repeat dangerous falls safely.[16](https://www.wired.com/video/watch/atomic-blonde-stunts)
## Music
The soundtrack is a mix of 1980s pop, rock, and synth music, supervised by John Houlihan and Willa Yudell, with a score by [Tyler Bates](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-bates).[17](https://www.focusfeatures.com/article/craft_music-supervision_atomic-blonde_five-songs) The film opens with New Order's "Blue Monday," later reprised as a downtempo cover by HEALTH for a morgue scene; [David Bowie](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-bowie)'s "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" fuels the title sequence; and Nena's "99 Luftballons," a German anti-war protest song, appears in its original version during a scene in which a Soviet boss flogs a gang of East German hoodlums, then returns as a haunting cover by Kaleida as the Wall is toppled.[17](https://www.focusfeatures.com/article/craft_music-supervision_atomic-blonde_five-songs) Other featured artists include [Depeche Mode](https://www.edgepedia.org/depeche-mode), Siouxsie and the Banshees, and The Clash.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/aug/13/atomic-blonde-lean-neon-lit-thriller-charlize-theron-james-mcavoy) • [18](https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/items/115780/bitstreams/378670/data.pdf) Critics and scholars have read the soundtrack's period pop against the film's violence as a deliberate tension, a commentary on the deception of the Cold War era.[19](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327407769_iAtomic_Blonde_Neue_Deutsche_Welle_and_Jane_Bond)
## Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 79% Tomatometer from 365 reviews and a 64% Popcornmeter score from more than 25,000 ratings; the site's critics consensus says the stylish action sequences and Theron's star power make up for a narrative that is somewhat less hard-hitting than its protagonist.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atomic_blonde_2017) Metacritic assigned a metascore of 63, based on 50 critic reviews, of which 64% were positive, 34% mixed, and 2% negative.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/atomic-blonde/)
Reviewers consistently singled out the action. The *Chicago Sun-Times* called it "ultra-violent and deliriously entertaining"; *The Independent* praised "the very best of what fight choreography and fight direction can offer," noting Theron's ability to do her own stunts; and RogerEbert.com wrote that without Theron the film "would only be clever."[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/atomic-blonde/) • [20](https://www.nme.com/news/film/atomic-blonde-first-reviews-2120620) • [21](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/atomic-blonde-2017) The recurring criticism targeted the plot: *Variety* saw "fundamental emptiness behind all the flash," Empire wished for fewer plot devices, and Slant Magazine argued the film's twists distracted from its action.[20](https://www.nme.com/news/film/atomic-blonde-first-reviews-2120620) • [5](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/atomic-blonde/) The film has since been grouped with the post-*John Wick* wave of action cinema authored by stunt professionals, which prizes choreographic legibility, long takes, and tactile violence.[4](https://sightlines.media/film/341013/atomic-blonde-2017)
## References
1. [Atomic Blonde, Focus Features](https://www.focusfeatures.com/atomicblonde)
2. [How Charlize Theron Invents a New Kind of Badass in the Stylish Atomic Blonde, TIME](https://time.com/4874478/charlize-theron-atomic-blonde/)
3. [Atomic Blonde, Universal Pictures](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/atomic-blonde)
4. [Atomic Blonde (2017), dir. David Leitch, Sightlines](https://sightlines.media/film/341013/atomic-blonde-2017)
5. [Review: Atomic Blonde, Slant Magazine](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/atomic-blonde/)
6. [Atomic Blonde review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/aug/13/atomic-blonde-lean-neon-lit-thriller-charlize-theron-james-mcavoy)
7. [Atomic Blonde (2017), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atomic_blonde_2017)
8. [Atomic Blonde, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/atomic-blonde/)
9. [Atomic Blonde, The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/atomic-blonde)
10. [Queer Female Action Heroes dissertation, University of Sunderland](https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/13382/3/13382.pdf)
11. [We Talked To The Portland Comic Book Publisher Behind Atomic Blonde, Willamette Week](https://www.wweek.com/arts/2017/08/14/we-talked-to-the-portland-comic-book-publisher-behind-atomic-blonde/)
12. [How Atomic Blonde Got That Insane Stairwell Fight Scene, GQ](https://www.gq.com/story/atomic-blonde-david-leitch)
13. [Atomic Blonde Director: How I Made Five Kick-Ass Action Sequences, Rolling Stone Australia](https://au.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/atomic-blonde-director-how-i-made-five-kick-ass-action-sequences-1938/)
14. [How They Pulled Off Atomic Blonde's Killer Action Sequence, WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/atomic-blonde-killer-action-sequence/)
15. [Atomic Blonde: How They Turned One Amazing Action Scene Into a Seven-Minute Long Take, IndieWire via Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/atomic-blonde-turned-one-amazing-223308863.html)
16. [Stunt Coordinator Breaks Down Atomic Blonde Fight Scene, WIRED](https://www.wired.com/video/watch/atomic-blonde-stunts)
17. [5 Songs That Rock the World of Atomic Blonde, Focus Features](https://www.focusfeatures.com/article/craft_music-supervision_atomic-blonde_five-songs)
18. [Valkanova dissertation, University of Illinois](https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/items/115780/bitstreams/378670/data.pdf)
19. [Atomic Blonde, Neue Deutsche Welle, and Jane Bond, ResearchGate](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327407769_iAtomic_Blonde_Neue_Deutsche_Welle_and_Jane_Bond)
20. [Atomic Blonde reviews: what the critics are saying, NME](https://www.nme.com/news/film/atomic-blonde-first-reviews-2120620)
21. [Atomic Blonde movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/atomic-blonde-2017)
22. [Atomic Blonde 2: Sequel Development Issues Addressed by Director David Leitch, The Direct](https://thedirect.com/article/atomic-blonde-2-sequel-development)
23. [Charlize Theron Says Atomic Blonde 2 Likely Isn't Happening, AOL](https://www.aol.com/articles/charlize-theron-says-atomic-blonde-142020000.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2010s › Espionage and spy thrillers*
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