Johnny English Reborn (2011)
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The story
Eight years after a failed mission in Mozambique cost him his knighthood, spy Johnny English is training in a Tibetan monastery. He is recalled to service by MI7's new director, Pamela "Pegasus" Thornton, to investigate an assassination plot against the Chinese premier during talks with the UK prime minister. English is joined by a team including agent Simon Ambrose and junior assistant Colin Tucker. The mission leads them to Hong Kong, where they discover a conspiracy involving a secret weapon held by a group called Vortex, requiring English to navigate a series of dangerous encounters and high-stakes espionage.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After losing his knighthood in Mozambique, Johnny English trains in Tibet before being recruited by MI7 director Pamela "Pegasus" Thornton to stop an assassination plot against the Chinese premier. In Hong Kong, he meets Titus Fisher, who reveals that the group Vortex is behind the Mozambique disaster and holds a secret weapon. After Fisher is killed and his key is stolen, English faces further humiliations, including attacking Pegasus's mother by mistake. With the help of behavioral psychologist Kate Sumner, English uses hypnosis to recall memories of the Mozambique mission, identifying the villainous Artem Karlenko. After Karlenko's death reveals a mole in MI7, English is framed as a Vortex member. He eventually discovers he is the mole and a member of Vortex himself. He teams up with Colin Tucker to infiltrate Le Bastion in the Swiss Alps. After being drugged and manipulated by the traitorous Simon Ambrose, English eventually overpowers Ambrose in a cable car fight, destroying the carriage. The film ends with English having his knighthood reinstated, though he mistakenly restrains the real Queen during the ceremony while the actual assassin is caught.
- First release year
- 2011
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; France; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Oliver Parker
- Writers
- Hamish McColl · screenplay; William Davies · story
- Cast and characters
- Rowan Atkinson · Johnny English; Gillian Anderson · Pamela "Pegasus" Thornton; Dominic West · Simon Ambrose; Rosamund Pike · Kate Sumner; Daniel Kaluuya · Colin Tucker; Richard Schiff · Patch Quartermain
- Genres
- spy action comedy; adventure comedy; parody; action comedy
- Themes
- Espionage; Identity; Redemption; Comedy of Errors
- Tone and mood
- Comedic; Action-packed; Parodic
- Premise and plot tags
- Spy Parody; Sequel; Action Comedy; International Espionage
- Source material / true-story basis
- Johnny English (2003)
- Franchise connections
- Johnny English
- Content notes
- Mind Control
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, though it was noted as an improvement over the original. It was a box office success, grossing over $160 million worldwide and topping the UK box office upon release.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 40% · review count: 88; Metacritic · score: 46 · scale: 100 · review count: 20; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film features a unique Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé with an experimental 9.0 litre V16 engine.; The film marks the second collaboration between Rowan Atkinson and Tim McInnerny after Blackadder.; Ben Miller's role as 'Bough' was cut from the final film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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