Introduction
Seth Gordon’s “Back In Action” is an American action-comedy coming to theatres in 2025. The movie is of particular interest as it serves as Cameron Diaz’s first film role in a decade. Jamie Foxx also stars in the film that promises to deliver action, comedy, and spy craft in equal measure.
Synopsis
Matt (Jamie Foxx) and Emily (Cameron Diaz), CIA agents, try to retrieve the ICS key, a device that can control any electronic device, 15 years ago. The two have to go to an extravagant birthday party that the international terrorist Balthazzar Gor throws for his children. Matt and Emily were able to get the key, however, their escape was interrupted when Gor bribed their flight crew to capture them. A fight broke out and their plane ended up crashing. Matt and Emily went off the grid.
Now, Matt and Emily live quiet suburban life in Atlanta under new aliases with their children, Leo and Alice, who are oblivious to their parents’ history. As easy as the life seems, everything comes crashing down after a mundane dispute gets captured on a video which is later accessed by Gor’s mercenaries and their ex-CIA partner, Chuck (Kyle Chandler). As Matt and Emily prepare to protect their family, they must reveal sensitive details to their kids.
Understanding their old life is resurfacing, the family heads to England hoping to be safe with Emily’s estranged mother, Ginny Curtis (Glenn Close), a former MI6 sniper. They recover the hidden ICS key at her secluded estate but Gor’s men scout them out and ambush them leading to Leo and Alice getting abducted.
Matt and Emily chase after Chuck who betrays them in London’s Tate Modern by trying to auction the ICS key to the highest bidder. A wild chase starts at the Thames River and after an intense fight, the couple manages to outsmart their rivals and reunite their family once and for all. Proving their bond is strong enough to face any challenge life throws at them.
Cast & Crew
Emily Tanner’s character is portrayed by Cameron Diaz: a former CIA agent who must battle her personal demons while protecting her family.
As Matt Tanner, Emily’s husband and fellow ex-CIA operative, Jamie Foxx brings his unwavering passion for his family alongside his extraordinary combat skills.
Glenn Close performs as Emily’s mother and former MI6 sniper as Ginny Curtis, providing shelter, guidance, and wisdom to Emily.
As their former friend, former allies, and now enemies, Kyle Chandler embodies Chuck Andrews as the man who wants to extract revenge while possessing the ICS key.
Andrew Scott plays Baron Buckley, specializing as an MI6 agent with a twisted relationship with Emily which complicates the storyline.
Jamie Demetriou relieves unbearably tense moments as Ginny’s strange yet clever partner Nigel, fueling the audience’s amusement.
McKenna Roberts personifies teenage daughter Alice Tanner of the Tanner family who is ensnared between her mother’s shadowy past and what a normal life ought to be.
As the Tanner’s young son Leo, Rylan Jackson portrays the boy whose endless wonderment and courageousness becomes crucial for the family’s escape.
Seth Gordon who worked on Horrible Bosses serves as the director of the improvised screenplay written in collaboration of Gordon and Brendan O’Brien. The other members of the production team consist of Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Sharla Sumpter Bridgett, Beau Bauman, and Seth Gordon.
RECEIVING CRITICS AND RATINGS IN IMDB
Based on viewer submissions, Back in Action got 5.8/10 rating in IMDB as of March 2025. Critics have had mixed reactions towards the movie:
Christy Lemire from RogerEbert.com gave it a 1 out of 4 stars saying that it was quite rigid and unimaginative.
Richard Roeper from the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 2.5 out of 4 stars by admitting that he loved the climate between Diaz and Foxx, but found the plot of the movie unimpressive.
Nonetheless, the movie received mixed reviews, but it did notably well on Netflix where it received 46.8 million views in the first three days, and was one of the top viewership premiered contention on the platform after The Adam Project.
FINAL STATEMENT
Back in Action, combines family drama with humour and engaging spy action, while calling it a high spirited action-comedy. Even though the plot isn’t world changing, audience find Diaz and Foxx appealing and they surely deliver with thrilling action sequences. They captivate people who lean towards easy going powerful performances and fellowing light hearted tellings of espionage. Back in Action does the job.
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