The Rhythm Section Hits Too Many Familiar Beats

One of the most notable things about this week’s The Rhythm Section is that it’s only the third non-James Bond film that Eon Productions has ever undertaken, which, all things considered, is rather appropriate, considering it’s also based on a series of novels about a super-spy. The hero in this ostensible franchise-starter is a woman named Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively), who begins the film as an Oxford grad-turned-junkie prostitute after her family is tragically killed in a plane crash. When a journalist approaches Stephanie with information that the crash was no accident, she sets out on a path of revenge against the terrorists who planned it. Critics say The Rhythm Section earns points for making Stephanie relatable, as she stumbles through her missions the way a novice assassin believably might, but the action feels uninspired and perfunctory, and the screenplay, adapted by Mark Burnell from his own novel, feels like it’s simply going through the motions to get Stephanie from one messy set-piece to the next. The people behind 007 may have been hoping to strike gold with another thrilling franchise, but with little to set the film apart from any number of other revenge/vigilante thrillers like it, there isn’t much left to drive demand for a sequel, let alone an entire series.