JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN
UK, 2011, 101 minutes. Colour.
Rowan Atkinson, Dominic West, Gillian Anderson, Rosamund Pike, Daniel Kaluuya, Richard Schiff, Ben Miller, Stephen Campbell Moore, Burn Gorman.
Directed by Oliver Parker.
If you are a Rowan Atkinson fan, you will, of course, want to see this sequel to his 2003 Bond spoof, Johnny English. It is not Atkinson at his ironic best as in his early sketches for The Secret Policeman’s Ball or Blackadder. It is more a verbalised version of Mr Bean in an espionage context. While a lot of the verbal and visual jokes are the expected ones, Atkinson generally delivers them with his nonchalant panache.
The reborn in the title indicates that Johnny English is in espionage limbo – or, at least, doing training in martial arts and in mind control in Tibet. Some of the techniques he laboriously learns (amid many pratfalls) will come in handy at the climax with the foiling of an attempted assassination of the Chinese premier. The cause of Johnny’s downfall was a similar assassination in Mozambique, which we see in continuous flashbacks.
The film is lavish in sets, with filming in Hong Kong, including quite a chase on the harbour, as well as familiar Bond locations in the Alps and a castle-fortress in Switzerland.
The plot is fairly straightforward as regards MI7 and spying and English failing and succeeding at the same time.
There is an interesting cast, although Gillian Anderson is somewhat colourless as Pegasus (the Judi Dench equivalent). Dominic West smiles and snarls as required. Rosamund Pike is sweetness and light as the house psychologist for MI7. Daniel Akuulya is the young assistant agent who has to correct and rescue Johnny English (with little thanks until the end). They are a bit like a latterday Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.
It is all quite undemanding Rowan Atkinson adventure comedy – but don’t walk out during the final credits. Atkinson does a wonderful meal preparation to Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King.
1. Rowan Atkinson’s popularity? Screen presence? Johnny English, the sequel, the spoof?
2. British humour, verbal, visual, ironic?
3. The parallels with the James Bond films? Johnny English and James Bond, M and MI7, Pegasus and M, the agents, the psychiatrist, the man in charge of the armory?
4. Johnny English and the Mozambique story, the flashbacks and the visualisation, Johnny English training in Tibet, the martial arts, the jokes, the later use, especially the groin kicks? His being recalled and reinstated?
5. MI7, Pegasus and her style, the party, the children, her mother and Johnny English assaulting her? Simon as the star agent? Kate, the psychiatrist? The discussions about Johnny English, the past, his being to blame for the assassination in Mozambique? The meetings, with the prime minister – and Johnny English not recognising him? The plan for the assassinations?
6. Johnny English and Tucker, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza? Tucker, his background, training, his young age, phone calls to his mother, correcting Johnny English, Johnny English being upset, telling him off, the ending, Tucker being right, in the Swiss castle, the fight and the strategies? Johnny English in Hong Kong, the cleaner, the discussions with Agent Fisher? The information about the secret organisation, Vortex? The cleaner, Johnny English disregarding her, her being the assassin, killing Fisher? The long chase in the harbour, its humour, the fight on the boat, the toffee English visitors looking on and applauding? On the plane, Johnny English misunderstanding Susan, handing over the key? His offering the box at the meeting with MI7, his being exposed?
7. The foreign assassin, his being part of Vortex? Johnny English sent to play golf with him? The woman on the golf links? Her assassinating the killer? The golf jokes and Johnny English’s success? The key, the Russian dying? His confiding that there was a spy in MI7? Johnny English, his friendship with Simon, meeting him, the discussions? Simon diverting his attention to Patch, Patch and the armory, his being in a wheelchair, his injuries to his arm and leg? Meeting in the church? Johnny English’s arrest?
8. Kate, her background, her cooperation, attracted to Johnny? Helping him psychologically, in her apartment?
9. Tucker, the car, Patch and the explanation of the talents of the car? English getting it, the drive to Switzerland?
10. The planned meeting in Switzerland, the Chinese premier, the British prime minister, Pegasus – and her being set up to assassinate the premier?
11. The background to Simon, his plausibility, Johnny English trusting him, giving him the key, the episode in the toilet? The memory of Simon in Mozambique? The drugs and the mind control? The Mozambique assassin and the replay?
12. The drink, Johnny English and Tucker getting into the castle, the exploits? English and his talking about the drink and consuming it? His becoming the assassin? The reaction of the prime minister, English with the gun, the Chinese premier, Pegasus? Kate and her being able to subdue Johnny English? His memories of his training in Tibet? Mind control over body?
13. The situation being saved, Johnny becoming a hero, the reinstating of his knighthood?
14. The episode with the queen, mistaking her for the cleaner, his assaulting the queen?
15. The final credits sequence – a touch of Rowan Atkinson comedy, his preparing the meal to Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King?
