Rent Legacy of Lies (2020)

Legacy of Lies review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Everything on the surface about Legacy of Lies seems so tiring. An ex-MI6 agent being tossed back into the world of spies and espionage just seems like such a dull retread of endless action thrillers. Compounding the surface-level tedium of it all is Scott Adkins shuffling through with his gruff yet trim appeal of countless other action stars and the most forgettable spy title. Shockingly, there’s actually some decent action present within this picture, almost making up for the flat and uninteresting story.

Adkins plays Martin Baxter, the ex-agent who thought he got out but slew violence and cover-ups from the secret service has drawn him back into this world. He digs around after some shocking assassinations and discovers a dirty secret within the organization. His investigation will take him around the dark and shady parts of the city as he finds himself getting closer to the truth in Ukraine.

Quite the generic screenplay, right? Even with the backing of Ukraine, it’s also a pretty low-budget picture in terms of its shooting that boasts strong lighting but flat shots. And yet the film tries as hard as it can to be the best at the only area such a boring action plot can be lifted. The action is varied with shootouts, cage matches, and car chases that are all punched up to be bigger than they appear. Thanks to some bolder colors, the action looks a lot cooler in terms of the general look. Thanks to some creative sound choices, the gunshots and punches hit a lot harder than just reusing tired sound effects or trying too hard to sound real.

This bodes rather well for a film that aims for a specific demographic that is clearly not interested in this film for what it has to say about international politics (spoilers: it’s a whole lot of nothing smeared in corruption babble). Just look at how the trailer tries to seem louder and faster, designed to get the blood pumping and make MMA fans salivate at the mouth. If nothing else, the film is a showcase of how Adkins can function quite well in an action film where he must do a lot of punching, fire a lot of guns, and take a lot of blows.

It’s impossible to talk about this film on any other level than just saying “look at this fight” or “check out this scene with gunfire.” It’s not that these scenes are cleverly shot or set up with complex construction. They’re pretty ho-hum action scenes that are thankfully given a boost of post-production pizzaz to make them seem larger and epic than they are for existing in such a boring spy movie premise. Consider this a film with points for punches, trying to land as many fists to your senses as possible to distract from the farce of it all. Personally, it manages to land a few more than it misses.