This surprising comedy is not only an enjoyable action flick, but a film with a lot of heart and a number of important positive messages about self.
Kevin Hart stars as accountant Calvin Joyner. Once the most popular kid in high school who was voted the most likely to succeed, his adult life is far from the success story he thought it would be.
As his school reunion approaches, Calvin is unexpectedly befriended by a faceless Facebook account who turns out to be the fat kid from high school that was picked on and humiliated in a big way. When they meet for drinks, the fat kid, dorky as ever, has however, transformed himself into muscles on legs… in the form of pro-wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Unbeknown to Calvin, Stone is a CIA operative in need of his help, but when the CIA itself is out to capture Stone for treason, Calvin is caught in the crossfire and unable to tell the good guys from the bad.
With Hart and Johnson’s characters being poles apart in stature, build and personality, they none-the-less complement each other beautifully, making the comedy a bigger treat than the satisfying action sequences. Hart is a master of blundering speech patterns and Johnson never loses the twinkle in his eye as the dorky kid in a super man’s body. They both devour their roles and deliver a comedy double act that deserves sequel.
At the heart of the film though, we witness the psychological impacts – both good and bad – that our actions can have on other people. It’s the central message, along with accepting who we are, and the message is delivered with as much subtlety as the stunts.
Director Rawson Marshall Thurber co-wrote the screenplay with story writers Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen. While their themes of self-worth and treating others with kindness are delivered rather heavy-handedly, it does provide great subtext to motivate the characters’ actions. Unfortunately, there is also a smattering of cartoonish characters throughout the film that appear out of place and serve no purpose other than to distract from the story.
Overall, Central Intelligence is an immensely fun film. It’s got action, comedy and soul, all in abundance.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet
Rating out of 10: 8
Central Intelligence will be released in cinemas on 30 June 2016.
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