“Red Sparrow” (**1/2 out of four) was a gripping if not enthralling spy melodrama about a Russian ballerina (Jennifer Lawrence) who is recruited to join an intelligence service in which she is forced to use her body as a weapon and seduce a C.I.A. agent (Joel Edgerton) but this and a sinister mole within the organization threatens to unravel the security of both nations. Strong performances from a game cast keep you tense and involved but the suspense slackens at times, especially as film becomes fatally overlong at nearly two-and-a-half hours. Director Francis Lawrence’s inventive use of colors and a strong supporting cast including Mary Louise Parker and Jeremy Irons provide extra style.