Johnny English Reborn

Editorial

Every so often a sequel sneaks up that no one expects. It’s been almost a decade since Johhny English first hit the big screen. The spy-spoof was a humorous diversion at best, the bendy faced antics of Rowan Atkinson, as MI7’s finest special agent, just about pulling it past the mediocre mark.

The unexpected sequel sees the special agent reborn and reinvigorated, a new lease of life provided by a snappy-ish script, a gadget-laden briefcase full of top supporting turns and a globe-trotting vista of stunning locations.

That cast includes ex-Bond girl Rosamund Pike as an unlikely love interest, Wire man Dominic West as the spy who English wishes he could be and The X-Files’ Gillian Anderson as the head of the British Secret Service. All gamely serve as straight-men to the Rowan Atkinson show.

Atkinson’s Bond caricature doesn’t just stick to the man-in-the-tux with the licence to kill. He channels Austin Powers and Frank Drebin from The Naked Gun, especially during the running gag featuring an OAP cleaning lady assassin. The humour is certainly obvious but Atkinson’s talents still shine through, it’s amazing the cast kept a straight face during some of the funnier set pieces. Check out the boardroom meeting with the Prime Minister and Atkinson’s hijinks with a defective chair for proof.

Certainly an improvement on the first English mission, director Oliver Parker, replacing Sliding Doors’ Peter Howitt, redeems himself after the dreadful double whammy of Dorian Gray and St Trinians II: The Legend Of Fritton’s Gold. There is enough charm and wit in Johnny English Reborn to hope that he will be sent on another mission.

David Michael Brown