Thunderbolts* movie review: Rag-tag bunch of antiheroes almost bring back Marvel glory days

Pugh is Yelena, an orphaned child assassin; Russell is Walker, a disgraced Captain America fill-in; and John-Kamen is Ava alias Ghost, a super-soldier with the power to appear and disappear. They all have done the CIA’s dirty work in the past, which hangs heavy on their hearts. Louis-Dreyfus, the CIA chief going by the audacious name of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, has been their handler and, with some Congressmen on the sniff now about her activities, decides it is time to bump them off.

The three catch on to this, after being sent to kill each other by Valentina. This same top-secret vault also contains Bob (Pullman). He is mysterious for sure, especially as he appears stranded in this CIA facility like them, with no available explanation. Harbour a.k.a Alexei a.k.a Red Guardian forces his way into the group in search of old glory and concern for his adopted daughter Yelena. Black Widow used to be his daughter.

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Unlike other Marvel films and their focused dedication towards seeking to impress and overwhelm, Thunderbolts* lets its bunch of rag-tag heroes be free and loose. The extended beginning is just about them stumbling about to get to know each other – as well as Bucky (Stan) a.k.a Winter Soldier who comes just when needed – and trying to escape Valentina’s lair in ways that are actually pretty funny.

They don’t fly, or have superweapon capabilities, or fandom, or the inability to die, or the will to even fight against the might of the CIA chief. At first, all they want to do is flee for their lives. Hence the asterisk to the film’s title, with their banding together as a team a happenstance.

By and by, Thunderbolts* raises the stakes, as Valentina’s desperation to escape impeachment meets the powers that secret government operators like her usually have access to. Bob is crucial to that, as are the secrets he too carries.

While Schreier keeps things moving along nicely, in the last half an hour or so, Thunderbolts* succumbs to the temptation of growing darker than it needs to. Its theme of how a life such as this, lived in the grey zone, can be consumed by darkness is heavily underlined and reiterated. The mechanics of it, which is literally a labyrinth of “interconnected shame rooms”, is a good plot device. But Schreier can’t keep a tight enough hand on it.

If we still wait for what lies in these rooms and what comes out on the other side, it’s Pugh – all the way through. The actor who grips you with her screen presence in every role she does, is believable as both the grown-up assassin who can clean up a room full of attackers and as the little girl who waits for “Daddy” Alexei to call – plus all that comes in between.

Pullman (the son of Bill Pullman) unfortunately does not have what it takes to provide the emotional counterweight to Yelena.

Louis-Dreyfus who remains undeniably Louis-Dreyfus after all the dust has settled – and may Marvel never change her – gets the best line of all. “Righteousness without power,” scoffs the CIA chief, “is just opinion.”

Righteousness with power, now, could be the CIA. Of course Valentina Allegra de Fontaine doesn’t need to spell that out.

Thunderbolts* movie cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, Geraldine Viswanathan

Thunderbolts* movie director: Jake Schreier

Thunderbolts* movie rating: 3.5 stars