It is baffling how fictional spies have expertise in everything. They are equally good at deciphering mysteries, hand-to-hand combat, target shooting, computer hacking, driving at full speed through crowded streets and even seducing women. They are a sort of Renaissance man, absolutely fictional, thus all the more appealing. But they do not make as much fuss as their fictional counterparts, and for a reason. Imagine a spy engaging in a car chase in a big city where everyone has a smartphone and there are CCTVs. It just will not work. Instead, the real spies are perhaps out of shape, do not break orders to save some lady that they have a crush on or even get to kill the villain for which there are drones now.
It is informed by such realistic likelihoods that parodies such as the Austin Martin franchise have ripped into the movie genre. The Johnny English franchise is another lesser known, less ambitious project that lampoons Hollywood’s characterisation of spies.
A third installment has recently been released. Based on the lack of appeal of the past movies, I was cringing as I entered the theatre. It turns out that it was not that bad. Matti Cinema and, now, Century Cinema have treated us to far worse. It is not original in any way, but it does have its funny moments and a protagonist one cannot help but feel sympathy for.
Rowan Atkinson reprises his role of Johnny English, a British secret agent that does not fulfill any of the criteria of a secret agent. He is a bad judge of people, clumsy at hand-to-hand combat, digitally illiterate and non-spontaneous. And yet the mighty British government turns to him for matters of national security from time to time.
Like the last kid picked in gym class, the British government turns to English after a cyber-terrorist publicises the identities of all of Britain’s secret agents in Johnny English Strikes Again. Even then, English is one of four old spies in retirement brought back as a last resort.
He is chosen after a comical turn of events leaves the three other old spies unemployable and tasked to uncover the identity of the cyber-terrorist before the British Prime Minister (Emma Thompson), whose name is never revealed throughout the movie, hosts a G12 Conference. As the cyber-attacks become frequent, English, though never showing it, is under intense pressure to find and stop a villain that amasses the capability to shut down the global internet.
Like most of the characters that Atkinson has played, English bears a resemblance to the Mr. Bean of the British sitcom of the same name. It is that or it is a persona that audiences subconsciously fail to see him not playing.
That is not without reason. It is a character that is original and strangely relatable. It is Atkinson’s greatest achievement in the nearly four-decade span of his professional life in entertainment. Few actors since Charlie Chaplin, with his on-screen persona of the Tramp, are singularly recognised in the mainstream for a character they played more than Atkinson.
The British actor has affected English with the nuances of Mr. Bean. But he has also made him a bit self-aware. As a result, English is all the more a sad character. Deep down, he realises that he is untalented, awkward and not that handsome.
But he tries to make up for what many consider to be flaws by being loyal, somewhat hard working and acutely arrogant. It does not help that he is a bit sexist and that he looks down on his loyal psychic Jeremy (Ben Miller) who is evidently far more fit for life in the secret service than him. But English learns, albeit gradually, and no one can say he is not an upstanding citizen who loves his country.
The film is less about the plot than the character. It is a story of a man looking for redemption in his own eyes. Infusing funny and totally predictable storylines, it shows us the struggle of a man whom we all dread to become.
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