This weekend my girlfriend dragged me out to the movie theater to see Atomic Bonde, Charlize Theron’s newest film. I was hesitant, but I obliged.
I guess I have a hard time getting behind a female hero. Maybe it’s because I can’t put myself in their shoes, or maybe because I don’t often believe the “fight” scenes I’m watching are realistic. I often find myself saying ” that shit would never happen.”
But Charlize Theron has changed all that with her incredible performance. At one point I remember thinking, this is the most badass female fight scene I’ve ever seen….Here’s some behind the scenes clips.
Toward the end of the Cold War thriller, the camera follows Theron up an elevator, onto a stairwell where she’s attacked by Russian thugs, into an apartment where she employs a hot plate as a weapon, and eventually out onto the street and into a police car for a high-speed chase. At just under 10 minutes long, the bravura sequence is as impressive a fight scene as I’ve ever seen.
While the set piece appears to be one uninterrupted take, Leitch, the director, stitched it together using old-school camera tricks like whip pans and wipes to make the transitions seamless—digital effects were a last resort. Even when Theron’s character tumbles down a flight of stairs: “That’s not digital,” Leitch says. “That’s 100 percent Charlize’s head bashing into the wall.” That’s not 100 percent wall, though—it’s well-disguised foam rubber.
This is one of the reasons why I really really respect her craft. Not only is she beautiful, fit, well spoken, but also because she does all her own stunts.
The movie story is a little complicated, and leaves me a bit unsatisfied. But these fight scene will surely make me want to see this flick again. Take a peak at the behind the scenes making, and if you haven’t seen the movie, get out there and see it!