‘Red Sparrow’ delivers strong Jennifer Lawrence performance

There's a good chance that many will wander into "Red Sparrow" thinking "Ooooh, a cross between Katniss Everdeen and a Bond-like spy thriller?... I think I'll check this out!"

And while the film delivers another strong Jennifer Lawrence performance and the espionage action of of a Bourne film, "Sparrow" is decidedly darker than your standard summer-action thriller, with a plot that may take an advanced degree to comprehend and liberal amounts of in-your-face sex and violence tossed in for good measure.

That's not to say that any of this is used for mere window dressing to attack the audience; in fact both play integral roles in the overall story. And though the film may be uneven at times, it's worthy for its attempt to take the spy thriller onto roads less traveled, which lead to its feel alternately as throwback and trailblazer. And overall, it's crafted with loving attention to detail that seems to overcome its many flaws.

Based on a trio of best-sellers, the film opens with a stunningly filmed prologue that beautifully contrasts the past lives of Dominika Egorova (played by Lawrence) and CIA operative Nate Nash (played by Joel Edgerton).

We witness events that cost them their former careers and ultimately bring them together in a dark, lonely and sadistic world of undercover international reconnaissance.

For Dominika, there is no other alternative: approached by her Putin-esque intelligence officer uncle (played by Matthias Schoenaerts), she is offered a chance to keep up the paychecks she once earned as one of Russia's top ballerinas. In order to do so, all her pas de deuxs and grand jetes are reserved for the bedroom, as she is taught to weaponize her sexuality.

Nash, meanwhile, is reluctantly reinstituted by the agency in order to help conceal a U.S. mole deeply embedded in the Russian embassy.

He crosses paths with Dominika on several occasions, and the film successfully conceals whether the two legitimately carry feelings for one another, or if they are merely dutifully carrying out their assignments to their own advantage.

That is actually dumbed down quite a bit, as, narratively, there are more tangles found here than in a hair salon, but director Francis Lawrence, whose rapport with Lawrence is well documented in the "Hunger Games" films, coaxes yet another textured performance from his lead.

It's at times confusing, overwhelming, and perhaps 30 minutes too long, but "Sparrow"s" lead provided yet another compelling performance that gives the film wings over its faults.

That said, the film may test your tolerability in with its frank approach to sex and violence, as those elements are interwoven into the actual Red Sparrow program of the novel. It does not allow the audience to shy away from its more difficult scenes, but that is part of its point.

Throughout, Jennifer Lawrence captivates with another standout performance, which earns the film its worth. Both she and the director manage to create an old-school spy thriller (which often resembles a le Carré adaptation of old) with a brash new attitude that can be overstuffed and overlong, but never lacks confidence.