Following an accident which ends the career of Russian ballerina Dominika Egorova her uncle, the Deputy Director of SVR, offers to help her by finding her a job working for the state. This leads her to 'Sparrow School' where agents are trained in seducing potential targets. The target she is given is CIA agent Nate Nash who is believed to have been in contact with a high level Russian official; it will be her job to get the name of the traitor. As she gets close to him it is uncertain who will ultimately turn who and the danger increases for both of them.

If you are looking for an action pack adventure along the lines of 'James Bond' you are likely to be disappointed; this is a much darker type of spy thriller. At times it is hard to watch as characters are tortured and there is a real sense of danger for even the most important of characters. Jennifer Lawrence is on great form as Dominika bringing both a senses of vulnerability and strength to the role. The rest of the cast, which includes many well-known actors, is solid too. The sense of tension builds quickly and remains high for most of the film; right up to the final scenes I had no idea how it would end for the protagonists. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of John le Carré style spy dramas where the craft if more important than the action.

I've watched it about 6 times already and it's a "different" winner each time. The acting is strong in some spots and the scenes where she flaunts her body are amazing. The complexity is great. And the Storyline is fast-paced and engaging. There's even a love story thrown in. Highly recommend for its adult theme.

The book, that 'Red Sparrow' is adapted from, is brilliant. It is very complex, but also very clever, suspenseful, intelligent and fun. As well as loving the book, the main reason for seeing 'Red Sparrow' was the cast which is a talented one and while not being blown away by the advertising it left me intrigued.

After seeing it, 'Red Sparrow' turned out to be a decent film in my opinion that flies high enough, but falls short of being great (like it could easily have been) meaning it doesn't quite soar. As an adaptation, it is a laudable one. The book is very difficult to adapt, but the film condenses it while still adhering to the spirit of the source material and what makes it so good and still making sense.

It is to me much better than the mixed critical reviews, while sharing a few of the criticisms, and is not a 1/10 film. A rating only reserved by me for films that have no redeeming qualities and don't try. 'Red Sparrow' does try and has a lot going for it, while being problematic, if anything leaning slightly towards the trying too hard side of the spectrum.

'Red Sparrow' has a very elaborate and suitably challenging story with plenty of twists and turns, the most shocking being the ending which will confound some but like with me haunt others. Luckily it is executed with a suitably cold and suspenseful touch, while having the intelligence to be involving and not taking itself overly seriously. A lot goes on and it's very complex content, yet the story doesn't feel too convoluted if perhaps over-stuffed in places.

Visually, 'Red Sparrow' looks great. In particular the scenery, landscapes and locations, which are wondrous and have such a lot of atmosphere and beauty. Made just as striking by the stylish photography, where the cold look suits the tone and subject very well, and slick editing. The music has its share of tension without intruding too much.

Script is smart and thought-provoking, again being challenging and elaborate enough without being too over-complicated. Francis Lawrence directs with cool confidence and personally that the violence and torture weren't that gratuitous, they are not for the faint-hearted certainly but for the subject the brutality was needed, is not overdosed upon and added to the full horrors of the situation.

Most of the cast come over very well. Jennifer Lawrence, hated a lot on IMDb but for me one of the better actresses today under 30, is in one of her most demanding roles here and she is not taxed by it at all and gives it everything, commanding the screen with ease. Frosty Charlotte Rampling, authoritative Jeremy Irons and menacing Matthias Schoenarts support her just as strongly.

For all those strengths, there are drawbacks. 'Red Sparrow' is a little overlong by about 15-20 minutes and there are times where the pace loses its tautness. Agree that the characters tend to be one-dimensional and although the cast are mostly very good the accents are less than great.

Joel Edgerton is out of his depth sadly too, having neither the charm or the intensity for such a role. He and Lawrence have very little chemistry, sexually or otherwise, meaning that the more intimate scenes lack sensuality.

Overall though, a decent and better than expected film but something was missing. 7/10 Bethany Cox