Smart satire enhances this stylistic, subversive and supremely entertaining spy homage to uproarious new heights; phenomenally fun film-making delivered with a wink and a nod.

Rating: 10/10 (29 September 2017)

Not so much a spoof as a homage with some satirical elements, this uproariously entertaining and sharply witty action-comedy manages to meld together a number of differing genres without ever feeling like a mishmash, working best when it plays into or against the 'secret agent' tropes it so clearly adores. In fact, its occasional absurdity harks back to the days of Roger Moore's Bond. It's also important to note that the film stands on its own two feet as a brash and stylistically violent outlier within the genre. It does occasionally struggle to juggle its various elements, particularly during the second act as it tries to mesh its investigative spy plot with its initiate training sequences and maintain a consistent villainous presence (in the form of Samuel L. Jackson's brilliantly unique and understandable billionaire who's definitely the hero of his own story). The occasional extremely important expositional line pops up seemingly out of nowhere just before the plot needs to be propelled forward, while the passage of time is often unnaturally compressed to keep the pace compact. Thankfully, then, the third act is one of the best in recent years. It makes excellent use of escalating action and rising stakes, managing to introduce valid new threats each time it seems our heroes are successful, while always remaining a tense experience and never losing sight of it's slightly tongue-in-cheek tone. This is phenomenally fun film-making, the kind of slyly stylish cinema that knows what it is and who it aims to please. It's sure to leave you with a smile on your face. 10/10