Reheated, anyway. Rowan Atkinson's Clouseau-Bond spoof is given another go-around, a very broad comedy turn that, like his Mr Bean character, is designed to do well in foreign markets and territories. Atkinson is the notoriously incompetent agent Johnny English, who for years has been living in a Tibetan monastery, achieving comedy transcendental enlightenment and zen acceptance of his career catastrophe since messing up a job in Mozambique. But spy chief Pamela Thornton (Gillian Anderson) brings him in from the cold for a special mission, tackling a dastardly international conspiracy to assassinate the Chinese premier. English finds himself in contact with CIA man Titus Fisher (Richard Schiff), breezy Brit spy Simon Ambrose (Dominic West) and beautiful special agent Kate Sumner, played dead-straight by Rosamund Pike . Many of the gags are good, and it goes out on a head-banging high note. But some ideas are undeveloped, such as the voice-controlled Rolls-Royce that can follow its owner around on command. And some bits, particularly Johnny English zooming around the London streets in a souped-up wheelchair, are just slapstick for the sake of it. This goes for a special poison drug that causes the victim to go into a "manic" phase – the excuse for some random, rubbery physical comedy from the man himself. One day we'll see a film that really harnesses Atkinson's mighty talent. This isn't it.
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