Johnny English Reborn – 2011 | 101 mins | Comedy | Colour

Plot Synopsis

Following Johnny English (2003), a forgettable Bond spoof that was reasonably successful internationally, Rowan Atkinson returns to the role of the most unlikely secret agent in this weak sequel. Atkinson’s incompetent spy was originally a character from a Barclaycard credit-card commercial and the plot in this film isn’t much deeper, the political assassination scheming merely keeps Atkinson’s series of sub-Clouseau one-liners, sketches and stunts steadily ticking along. Whilst not the most refined satire Johnny English Reborn is well-paced and good natured fun that will appeal to family audiences. The new the supporting cast are on good form, Daniel Kaluuya ably steps into Ben Miller shoes as the keen youthful sidekick, and Dominic West is English’s suave MI7 colleague. Rosamund Pike takes over from Natalie Imbruglia as Johnny’s unconvincing love interest and she’s handed a weaker role than her predecessor.

Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) is living in self-imposed exile in a Buddhist monastery, where he has spent five years honing body and mind after screwing up a security assignment in Mozambique. But when MI7 learn of a plot to assassinate the Chinese premier during talks with the British PM, English is recalled by his superior (Gillian Anderson) to travel to Hong Kong with fellow agent Tucker (Daniel Kaluuya) and out of retirement for a rendezvous with an ex-CIA agent. English learns a group of international assassins known as Vortex plan an attempt to eliminate the Chinese premier, and each possess a special key. It transpires that all members of Vortex are double-agents with the CIA, KGB… and MI7.