We don't know for sure if we'll ever get the Black Widow solo movie that a lot of people want and the character truly deserves. But even if we don't, Red Sparrow looks like it might scratch that itch. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence as a ballerina who is turned into a human weapon and femme fatale by Russian intelligence. (Seriously, what is it about being a ballerina that gets you all the best spy gigs?) The newest trailer for the film teases a brutal and intense spy thriller, so take a look.
The first trailer for Red Sparrow focused more on tone and didn't provide many plot details, but this new preview is much meatier. We see Jennifer Lawrence's character forced into becoming a 'sparrow' and shedding who she was to turn into a master of deception. It looks like the main conflict will arise when she encounters a CIA agent played by Joel Edgerton. I will be curious to see how the film approaches the trope of the spy falling for a foreign agent. This has been done many times before, but with the talent involved in this film, I have confidence that they will bring something new to it. Jennifer Lawrence looks like she will be giving a very physical and nuanced performance here. Her character, Dominika Egorova, is cold, emotionless and calculating throughout much of the trailer, so it should be fun to watch her and see if she's tricking the audience too. This trailer gives this film a real nail-biter feel, and something tells me that we won't know whose side Dominika is truly on until the final credits roll.
Female-led action films are all the rage these days, with Taraji P. Henson throwing down for Proud Mary this month. But Red Sparrow is more of a thriller and does a lot to differentiate itself from another female-led spy film like Atomic Blonde. That film was very much sold on Charlize Theron kicking the crap out of people and looking awesome doing it. Red Sparrow is quite different. This trailer is selling itself on the spycraft and the intrigue. Instead of being dominated by action, Red Sparrow focuses on manipulation and covert affairs, punctuated by moments of intense and brutal violence.
The tension in this trailer and hopefully the film will make the violence all that more intense and jarring when it comes. The violence won't be shortchanged either. Red Sparrow has been planned for an R rating from the beginning. With all the sex and murder that comes with the spy job description, it will probably need it. Other than the X-Men franchise, we haven't seen Jennifer Lawrence kicking ass on screen since her time as Katniss Everdeen. It will be good to have the talented actress back in what appears to be a psychologically intense spy movie.
Red Sparrow is based on a book by Jason Matthews. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence and reunites her with her Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay director Francis Lawrence. Red Sparrow arrives in theaters on March 2. Check out our guide to see the rest of the biggest releases hitting theaters this year.
