'Johnny English Reborn' falls a bit flat
Johnny English Reborn
(Cert PG, 101 mins, Comedy/Action/Romance)
Following a disastrous mission in Mozambique, Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) turns his back on MI7.
Section chief Pamela Thornton (Gillian Anderson) woos him back to help thwart an assassination attempt on the Chinese premier.
She pairs him with rookie agent Tucker (Daniel Kaluuya), who lives in south London with his mother and finesses his gun skills by playing on his Xbox.
Following a meeting with agent Titus Fisher (Richard Schiff), Johnny learns the dastardly plot has been masterminded by a shadowy organisation called Vortex.
Convinced there is a mole at the heart of British Intelligence, Johnny and Tucker join forces with fellow operative Simon Ambrose (Dominic West) and sexy behavioural psychologist Kate Sumner (Rosamund Pike) to unmask the traitor in their midst.
Johnny English Reborn is a gently effervescent spy caper that amuses but rarely delights.
The eponymous secret agent continues to hark back to the Connery and Moore years of James Bond.
He’s out-dated and a chauvinist, dismissing the most obvious suspect for a shooting simply because she’s a woman (Pik Sen Lim).
Action sequences unfold at pedestrian pace – literally in the case of a rooftop pursuit.
Atkinson’s talent for physical humour delivers a couple of belly laughs.
A broken lever on a swivel chair, which causes the bungling agent to rise and fall during an important meeting, is an old chestnut but director Oliver Parker roasts it to perfection.
The script lacks invention and dialogue feels flat apart from the occasional zinging one-liner.
Johnny English Repackaged might be a more fitting title.
A two-disc box set comprising Johnny English and the sequel is also available.
Rating: 3/5.
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