If you've ever — and I mean literally ever — found yourself on the internet, you've probably seen at least one guy talking about how there could never be a female James Bond. But, don't worry, no longer do you have to spend any time trying to talk them out of their wrong opinions. Charlize Theron in the Atomic Blonde trailer just did it for you. The restricted trailer for the "Cold War-era spy thriller" was released Friday, and it's the perfect argument for anyone saying that a woman can't take on a Bond-esque secret agent role: "OK, but Charlize Theron just did."
The preview clip features Theron as MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton, but don't expect to catch her name, because she is coming in hot. It briefly seems like the trailer is going to be a bit more tame, beginning as it does with Theron alone in an elevator, taking deep, calming breaths. But then the doors open, and she's all business. The full trailer is only three minutes long, but they manage to pack in plenty of plot, realistic details, and jarring depictions of violence, which I actually think is the most important aspect of a film like this.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not advocating for violence, either in real life or in films. But it's a trope of this type of film, so it needs to remain consistent no matter the gender of the leading role.
If we're throwing around the term "spy thriller," I'm anticipating espionage, yes, as well as disguises and casual, almost meaningless sex. But, most of all, I'm expecting to see intense, intricate fight scenes, with both hand-to-hand combat and weapons being utilized. There will be a common enemy, and I should see our hero repeatedly encounter and dispatch members of that group until the big boss at the end, whether that hero is Daniel Craig in the James Bond films, Tom Cruise in the Mission Impossible series, Keanu Reeves in John Wick, Matt Damon in The Bourne Identity... or Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde.
The violence is jarring, yes, but it's a necessary part of this type of movie. Atomic Blonde is based off of a graphic novel called "The Coldest City," and you know graphic novels never slack when it comes to blood and guts. So you see quite a bit of it in the trailer, from Loughton eliminating her targets to taking knocks herself, which is another thing I appreciate.
We actually see her with battle wounds: examining her bruises in the mirror, getting the wind knocked out of her on the floor, and soaking in an ice bath. Theron is accurately depicting the reality of being a woman in this world. Not the world of being a female spy — because Atomic Blonde really has nothing to do with that — but the world of being a female action star. It's a world that we've created ourselves, where stars do the impossible all the time, so it's a little ridiculous to pretend like women couldn't be slotted into those same positions.
What matters, ultimately, is the actor's capacity to pull off the role, and, if you've seen Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road, you already have very little reason to doubt her abilities in that department.
But if you need a little more convincing, take a look at the trailer, and see just how well Charlize Theron fits in with those men I mentioned before. She can more than hold her own as an action star. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to enjoy this film when it comes out on Jul. 28, because it looks like a delight.
