2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road made an unlikely action star of Charlize Theron and her ice-queen performance here in Atomic Blonde further solidifies Theron as being more than capable of such roles. Adapted from the graphic novel The Coldest City, director David Leitch serves up some of the most brutal hyperstylised violence available to us on screen today.

Set in 1989 during the last days of the Berlin Wall, Theron plays MI6 operative Lorraine Broughton, sent to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and retrieve a list that will save the lives of a number of double agents that were active during the Cold War.

Throughout the course of her mission she encounters David Percival, a former Berlin bureau chief gone feral. Played with vigour by James McAvoy (Split, X-Men: Apocalypse) it’s clear he’s enjoying himself and Sofia Boutella’s French spy Delphine who serves as a love interest.

What Atomic Blonde lacks in plot and character depth, its complex choreographed fight sequences more than make up for. Beautifully lensed by cinematographer Jonathan Sela and backed by a killer 80’s soundtrack. There’s something to savour in every shot.

Scott Jackson - Three Stars (3)