Following the cinematic success of Ian Fleming’s James Bond, several filmmakers have attempted to make similar spy films throughout the decades. In 2018, Francis Lawrence came up with his attempt at making a female-leading brutally violent spy thriller, Red Sparrow, featuring Jennifer Lawrence.
Unfortunately, the $151M spy film failed to impress audiences and ended up being an ill-advised role for Jennifer Lawrence. The film’s attempt at showing how secret agents were taught to wield seduction as a weapon to extract information failed miserably. Further, it was also criticized for copying an extract from Sean Connery’s James Bond movie.
Jennifer Lawrence’s Red Sparrow Faced Relentless Criticism
James Bond is undoubtedly the first name that comes to our mind when we talk about secret agents and spies. And undoubtedly, there’s rarely any spy film that features a female lead. Therefore, in an attempt to change that, Francis Lawrence came up with his 2018 movie Red Sparrow featuring Jennifer Lawrence.
However, the movie’s storyline failed to bring out the nail-biting suspense or the action, compared to James Bond films. Red Sparrow instead turned into a sexist movie where Lawrence’s character Dominika Egorova is sent to a spy school after her ballerina career ends abruptly.
In that school, the matron trains “sparrows”, secret agents to wield seduction as a weapon to extract information. This particular backdrop turned the tone of the movie completely bleak and became an attraction for drooling teenage boys rather than genuinely adult audiences.
Similarity Between Red Sparrow And Sean Connery’s Movie
Jennifer Lawrence’s Red Sparrow received immense criticism for calling the movie a spy thriller when it’s simply an erotica for youngsters. Further, the 2018 movie also got slammed as an ill-advised role for the actress. But surprisingly, nothing was worse than when audiences called out the film for plagiarism.
Trying to make a movie similar to James Bond with a female lead, Red Sparrow ended up copying an extract from Sean Connery‘s 1963 action thriller. According to IMDb trivia, the scene from Red Sparrow where the matron gives a speech to her recruits when she orders them to take their clothes off is identical to the directive in From Russia with Love.
In Jennifer Lawrence’s 2018 spy film, the matron says, “your body belongs to the State. Since your birth, the State nourished it, now the state asks something in return.” Apparently, this speech is similar to the one shared by Rosa Klebb to Tatiana Romanova, “your body belongs to the State. The State has nourished it. Now your body must work for the State.”
This striking similarity with Sean Connery’s From Russia with Love seems to have degraded Jennifer Lawrence’s $151M movie for audiences, in every way possible.
Watch Red Sparrow on Amazon Prime Video.
