# The Rhythm Section
**The Rhythm Section** is a 2020 action thriller directed by Reed Morano, starring [Blake Lively](https://www.edgepedia.org/blake-lively) as Stephanie Patrick, a woman who discovers that the plane crash that killed her family was a terrorist attack and trains with a former intelligence agent to hunt those responsible. It was adapted by Mark Burnell from his 1999 novel of the same name and was produced by [Michael G. Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-g-wilson) and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions, the company behind the [James Bond](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-bond) films, in partnership with Paramount Pictures.[1](https://www.paramount.com/movies/the-rhythm-section) • [2](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-rhythm-section/) • [3](https://www.mi6-hq.com//news/will-eon-s-the-rhythm-section-succeed-200129)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | January 31, 2020 (Paramount Pictures), rated R, running time 109 minutes[1](https://www.paramount.com/movies/the-rhythm-section) |
| Director / writer | Reed Morano; screenplay by Mark Burnell, based on his 1999 novel[2](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-rhythm-section/) |
| Lead cast | Blake Lively (Stephanie Patrick), Jude Law (Iain Boyd), Sterling K. Brown (Marc Serra)[1](https://www.paramount.com/movies/the-rhythm-section) |
| Producers | Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli (EON Productions)[3](https://www.mi6-hq.com//news/will-eon-s-the-rhythm-section-succeed-200129) |
| Budget | Reported production budget of $50 million[3](https://www.mi6-hq.com//news/will-eon-s-the-rhythm-section-succeed-200129) |
| Box office | $2,715,384 domestic opening; $5,989,583 worldwide[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt7134096/) |
| Critical reception | Metascore 45 (mixed or average, 36 reviews); 28% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rhythm-section/critic-reviews/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_rhythm_section) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and source novel
Stephanie Patrick is on a path of self-destruction after her family is killed in a plane crash. When a journalist tells her the crash was no accident but an act of terrorism, she enters the world of international espionage seeking vengeance. Her search leads her to [Iain Boyd](https://www.edgepedia.org/iain-boyd), a former MI6 agent who trains her, and she transforms from victim to assassin while finding that neither revenge nor the truth are what they appear.[1](https://www.paramount.com/movies/the-rhythm-section)
Burnell's novel was first published in 1999, and Empire's review notes that its premise, the downing of a passenger jet as an act of global terrorism, seemed dated in a post-9/11 world; Burnell stripped out many of the story's anachronistic elements for the screen, leaving a more streamlined tale of personal empowerment.[2](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-rhythm-section/) In the novel, [Stephanie](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephanie) is recruited by a spy operative named [Alexander](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexander) and trained by Boyd before pursuing the leader of an extremist terrorist organization; the film streamlines this path.[7](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/rhythm-section-familiar-tune-new-beat/) The film's title refers to a breathing and focus mantra Stephanie is taught for shooting: "Your heart is the drum, your breathing is the bass."[8](https://www.irishnews.com/arts/2020/01/30/news/-jane-bond-actioner-the-rhythm-section-more-bore-than-bourne-1828887/)
## Production
EON Productions partnered with [Paramount Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-pictures) to secure the rights to Burnell's book in August 2017. Production began in December 2017 in Ireland but was halted when lead actress Blake Lively suffered an injury; filming resumed in June 2018. The delay pushed the release from its original date of February 22, 2019 to November 22, 2019, and then again to January 31, 2020.[3](https://www.mi6-hq.com//news/will-eon-s-the-rhythm-section-succeed-200129) Morano, known for directing *The Handmaid's Tale*, was announced as director of what was described as the first film in a potential series based on Burnell's Stephanie Patrick novels.[9](https://www.thewrap.com/blake-lively-star-female-spy-franchise-james-bond-producers/)
The score was composed by Steve Mazzaro and produced by [Hans Zimmer](https://www.edgepedia.org/hans-zimmer), with additional music by [Lisa Gerrard](https://www.edgepedia.org/lisa-gerrard); it was mixed at Zimmer's Remote Control Productions in Santa Monica.[10](https://hans-zimmer.com/product/the-rhythm-section/) Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt graded the film with colorist Tom Poole of Company 3 in New York, developing the look of the lenses chosen for different parts of Stephanie's story.[11](https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/exclusive-interview-sean-bobbitt-bsc-on-the-rhythm-section-bc98/)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed to negative. The film scored 45 on Metacritic, labeled "mixed or average," based on 36 critic reviews, with 9 positive, 19 mixed, and 8 negative.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rhythm-section/critic-reviews/) On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 28% Tomatometer from 189 reviews and a 44% audience score, with the critics consensus crediting Lively's "impressive lead performance" while finding the story predictable.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_rhythm_section) Reviewers singled out Lively's performance for praise: Mick LaSalle of the *San Francisco Chronicle* called it "Lively's movie," and IndieWire's Kate Erbland described it as one of the actress's best performances.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rhythm-section/critic-reviews/) Empire found the action sequences languidly edited and the geopolitics inauthentic, judging the film "too simplistic" for 2020 despite Lively's performance.[2](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-rhythm-section/)
## Box office
The film was a commercial failure. Against its reported $50 million production budget,[3](https://www.mi6-hq.com//news/will-eon-s-the-rhythm-section-succeed-200129) it opened domestically to $2,715,384 and earned $5,437,971 in the United States and Canada, about 90.8% of its total, with $551,612 internationally, for a worldwide gross of $5,989,583.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt7134096/) The MI6-HQ news site had noted before release that an R-rated thriller opening in January faced an uphill struggle and would likely need around $150 million worldwide to be profitable.[3](https://www.mi6-hq.com//news/will-eon-s-the-rhythm-section-succeed-200129)
## References
1. [The Rhythm Section, Paramount Pictures](https://www.paramount.com/movies/the-rhythm-section)
2. [The Rhythm Section Review, Empire (James Dyer, 2020)](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-rhythm-section/)
3. [Will EON's 'The Rhythm Section' succeed?, MI6-HQ (29 January 2020)](https://www.mi6-hq.com//news/will-eon-s-the-rhythm-section-succeed-200129)
4. [The Rhythm Section (2020), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt7134096/)
5. [The Rhythm Section Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rhythm-section/critic-reviews/)
6. [The Rhythm Section, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_rhythm_section)
7. [The Rhythm Section: Familiar Tune With a New Beat, Kirkus Reviews (David Rapp, 2020)](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/rhythm-section-familiar-tune-new-beat/)
8. ['Jane Bond' actioner The Rhythm Section more bore than Bourne, The Irish News (Damon Smith, 2020)](https://www.irishnews.com/arts/2020/01/30/news/-jane-bond-actioner-the-rhythm-section-more-bore-than-bourne-1828887/)
9. [Blake Lively to Star in Female Spy Franchise From James Bond Producers, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/blake-lively-star-female-spy-franchise-james-bond-producers/)
10. [The Rhythm Section, Hans Zimmer website (score credits)](https://hans-zimmer.com/product/the-rhythm-section/)
11. [Exclusive Interview: Sean Bobbitt BSC on The Rhythm Section, British Cinematographer](https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/exclusive-interview-sean-bobbitt-bsc-on-the-rhythm-section-bc98/)
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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 › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2020–2022 films › Released 2020 to 2021*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license