Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: David Kerr, Universal Pictures, PG 88 Minutes.
English comedian Rowan Atkinson is back to strike fear again in the minds of evil men in this third of the funny spy spoof franchise but this time it is directed by TV comedic filmmaker David Kerr (‘Inside No.9’).
In his latest adventure, English is recalled to duty, having abandoned his teaching job, following a cyber-attack which revealed the identity of every secret agent requiring the gin-happy Prime Minister (Emma Thompson –‘Burnt’) to have all her spies brought out of retirement.
No sooner has the accident-prone agent turned up to MI7 and been reunited with his ardent colleague Bough (Ben Miller) than he begins to cause havoc even when given a high-tech device preferring instead to have a gun.
In proceeding with his mission to track down the mastermind hacker Jason (Jake Lacy –‘’Rampage’) English is unwittingly assisted by Russian agent Ophelia (Olga Kurylenko –‘Water Diviner’) but thwarted by the Prime Minister’s intention to recruit him for her own purposes.
Despite the obstacles and his own clumsiness creating such hilarious situations as setting fire to a classy restaurant, not to mention the attacking staff incident in the bakery, English, like the irrepressible Inspector Clouseau, somehow still manages to save the day.
There is no doubt that the ‘Johnny English’ movies are an enjoyable experience due in large part to Atkinson’s attempt to portray himself partly as an action-oriented James Bond character and other times as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau.
Apart from Atkinson’s comedic antics there is of course the entertaining performances provided by Thompson and the delightful Kurylenko with both actors contributing a great deal of glamour and spice to the storyline.
It is fair to say that this latest instalment of Johnny English is by far the best in the franchise as it continues the fine tradition of sending up spies from whichever country they come from.
Vic’s Verdict: 3 Stars
