‘Back In Action’ Offers Clichés & Fun: At The Movies With Kasey
Sometimes movies that feel familiar provide a comforting sort of fun and other times they set us up for unexpected twists. The new movie Back in Action deploys all the usual action-comedy tropes but still feels like a blockbuster. Meanwhile, A Different Man looks like a classic film before it dives into original, disturbing territory.
On Netflix, Back in Action focuses on Matt (Jamie Foxx) and Emily (Cameron Diaz), spies on a mission to steal a key from cyberterrorists. When the mission goes sideways, they take the chance to fake their deaths and disappear. Fifteen years later, they are living as suburban parents with their kids, Alice (McKenna Roberts) and Leo (Rylan Jackson), until their old boss, Chuck (Kyle Chandler), arrives on their doorstep informing them that their cover is blown. With help from Emily’s estranged mother, Ginny (Glenn Close), and with their former frenemy at MI6, Baron (Andrew Scott), tracking them, the whole family has to work together to get out of trouble and back to the burbs.
Of all the cliched action movies Netflix has made so far, this one has been my favorite. It has surprising action sequences, a fun soundtrack, and a plot that mostly holds up. Plus, Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz have chemistry as a fighting duo and a married couple. I was reminded throughout how excellent Diaz was as one of Charlie’s Angels.
Just based on the title and genre, you can probably guess most of this film’s plot. Naturally, Emily and her teen daughter have conflict that draws in themes around motherhood and sacrifice. Of course, the young son is neurotic and into tech. Oh, the MI6 guy carries a torch for Emily? The terrorists are from Eastern Europe? Even the use of vintage music during fight sequences (which I loved) has been done before. Back in Action has one or two tricks up its sleeve, with an assist from how often Kyle Chandler dies after a few scenes, but it was still glossily produced, fun to watch, and carried by energetic performances from the ensemble cast.
Back in Action was directed by Seth Gordon, who wrote it with Brendan O’Brien. It runs 114 minutes and is rated PG-13.
For something more interesting, try A Different Man, in which Sebastian Stan plays Edward, a man with a condition that has caused severe tumors to grow on his face. When he takes the chance to participate in a miraculous drug trial that heals his face, Edward meets unforeseen consequences for his career and sense of self. Adam Pearson also stars as Oswald, another actor with a facial difference, and Renate Reinsve steals plenty of scenes as Ingrid, a playwright and Edward’s neighbor.
A Different Man would pair well with Demi Moore’s The Substance as it deals with complex ideas around appearance and superficiality using elements of body horror. The film clearly has a point to make, but it does so gradually, with a wicked sense of humor and an understated, Golden Globe-winning performance from Sebastian Stan. The first act carefully makes the audience care for the sensitive actor, hoping he will find the courage to get someone to fix the rotting hole in his ceiling, and rooting for his budding friendship with his beautiful neighbor. When the tight, dingy setting of Edward’s life gives way to a B-horror movie medical treatment and then a bright, sanitized new life, Stan’s continued quietness movingly demonstrates how Edward might be handsome, but he is not really healed.
I do not want to go into too much detail and ruin the surprises of the second act, but I will say that the plot went to places I could not have predicted. With thought-provoking twists, writer/director Aaron Schimberg explores how Edward’s passivity may have little to do with his outward appearance, leading him to dark places in comparison to Oswald, whose personality draws people to him. Although the characters reference Beauty and the Beast as a shorthand, A Different Man takes a much more nuanced approach to the characters leaving the audience with a lot to ponder and some jolting twists to debate.
The art direction for A Different Man beautifully uses 16 mm film and dated sets to give the production the look of a movie from the 1970s. I was surprised when, well into the first act, Edward uses a laptop. The vintage look and unclear setting give the story a timeless quality that is very cool and makes the horror elements work when they otherwise might have been absurd. The crew was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling.
A Different Man was written and directed by Aaron Schimberg. It runs 112 minutes and is rated R. It is streaming on Max.
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