This summer was a great one if you’re like me and love action heroines, and no I’m not talking about Wonder Woman. For me the stand out female-lead blockbuster was Atomic Blonde directed by David Leitch. Starring Charlize Theron, this Cold War spy thriller opens with an unknown man being chased down a run-down Berlin road. This visual is paired perfectly with New Order’s “Blue Monday.” Although I do admit it did take me a moment to recognize the song, once I did I knew exactly what I was in for, a Cold War thriller sound tracked by some of my favorite 80s synth pop songs.

As someone who saw the trailer once or twice, I didn’t pick up on this style choice until I was in the theater. After all, it is incredibly popular today in the industry to give audiences a sense of nostalgia while watching your film’s the trailer. Although the trailer did have this opening song playing behind it, I figured it was for pacing. But as the film went on through its opening act, I realized that, like a good thesis statement, the choice of “Blue Monday” serves to tell the audience what it was in for, two hours of 80s synth pop fun, with a little espionage in between.

I first saw this style of filmmaking in Blade Runner, which is fitting since this approach to filmmaking is most commonly found in sci-fi films. This is because of the obvious, bright neon lights look futuristic. However, this film differs from Atomic Blonde because the soundtrack, composed by Vangelis, relies on a much slower pace than most 80s synth pop songs. The film also differs in that it doesn’t use pop culture hits to create the 80s aesthetic, because unlike Atomic Blonde it can amp up the neon lights and futuristic tech that make it the visually stunning, cyber punk sci-fi film that it is. And with it’s long awaited sequel Blade Runner 2049 having just be released, it looks like after over 20 years director Denis Villeneuve will take a note from Blade Runner director, Ridley Scott, and do the same.

But perhaps my favorite example of 80s synth pop comes from the decade itself. Based off of the Thomas Harris novel, Red Dragon, the first released novel in the “Hannibal Lecter” series, Michael Mann’s Manhunter reminds us all why the origins of this film style we love work. The darkness of the film, both in subject matter and lighting play off each other perfectly. The visual fear of the unknown keeps you on the edge of your seat, which for a thriller is exactly what you want.

The cheesiness of Manhunter is lost in more recent examples of this artistic style, which for what the style is used for now is a good thing. Although Atomic Blonde can certainly be seen as a nostalgia flick for its aesthetics, if it did everything 1980s synth pop films did, the action and the sometimes confusing narrative wouldn’t give the audience the punch it needs. As the film goes on after the title card, that is displayed in bright neon lights and spray paint no less, the film is filled with long action sequences, even featuring a seemingly 10 minute one shot staircase fight scene, a (sometimes overly) complicated plot, and of course a killer soundtrack that unlike other films like Suicide Squad, actually fits the narrative and deserves to be there. All in all, if you’re into Cold War spy thrillers with an awesome 80s soundtrack that creates a stunning aesthetic throughout the whole film, Atomic Blonde is for you.