In the course of the Chilly Battle, we had “I Married a Communist” and “I Married a Monster From Outer Area” — two predicaments that the period’s paranoias rendered principally the identical factor. Lately, nonetheless, a extra frequent display fantasy may be summarized as “Whoops, My Vital Different Turns Out to Be an Worldwide Spy/Murderer.” There have been quite a few efforts in that vein, of variably intentional absurdity. Now there’s “Position Play,” which by their requirements doesn’t appear notably outlandish for providing “The Massive Bang Concept’s” Kaley Cuoco as a globetrotting killer cloaked within the normie guise of suburban mother.
This smaller-scaled, gender-flipped spin on the “True Lies” conceit, nonetheless, will get most of its allure and humor from David Oyelowo, enjoying the Jamie Lee Curtis position of the solidly middlebrow partner flummoxed at discovering themselves married to a deadly weapon. Revealing hitherto underexposed comedian chops, he elevates a slick contrivance that disappoints a bit by turning right into a middling motion thriller relatively than heightening its antic potential.
Nonetheless, French director Thomas Vincent’s multinational co-production stays a enjoyable if by-product diversion all through. It premieres through Prime Video on Jan. 12, the identical day Oyelowo hits theaters as John the Baptist in “The E-book of Clarence.”
Simply in time for rooster dinner on the grill, Emma Brackett (Cuoco) returns to her middle-class New Jersey dwelling, shared with adoring Dave (Oyelowo), plus their youngsters, Caroline (Lucia Aliu) and Wyatt (Regan Bryan-Gudgeon). Hubby is okay being spared the boring particulars of her alleged company enterprise convention in Nebraska — which makes life simple, as a result of that’s not in any respect what she was away doing.
In actuality, Emma (or no matter her identify actually is) simply acquired again from neatly dispatching some schmoe in Buenos Aires. She’s a contract killer who can’t even declare the ethical justification of eliminating “unhealthy guys” — this newest mark was a neighborhood union chief. There’s a bounty on her head, but to this point she’s managed to remain under-radar when off the job, and invisible (as a consequence of disguises and different ways) whereas on it. In the mean time, her largest fear is that she fully forgot her personal marriage ceremony anniversary.
To make up for that oversight, she proposes a Manhattan date evening, moreover spiced by the couple role-playing as “two strangers assembly in a bar.” However whereas Dave will get held up in visitors, she’s approached within the chosen resort watering gap by a flirtatious windy bore (Invoice Nighy). This encounter seems much less innocent and quite a bit much less boring than it initially seems, nonetheless, finally leaving a corpse behind. Its discovery the subsequent morning blows Emma’s cowl, leaving her scrambling to fulfill with unamused handler Raj (Rudi Dharmalingam) on one more last-minute “enterprise journey.”
Dave continues to be in the dead of night about his spouse’s true career. However not for lengthy, as authorities quickly haul him in for questioning — the second when it sinks in that the little missus could actually be a “cool-blooded assassin” provokes a double-take from Oyelowo that’s most likely this movie’s spotlight. Amongst these authorities are a purported Federal Particular Agent (Connie Nielsen) who seems to have an extended, sophisticated historical past with our heroine. When Dave flies to Berlin in pursuit of his fugitive partner, he inadvertently leads hostile forces straight to her, and issues undertake a considerably extra sober life-or-death tenor within the final half hour.
Cuoco, a producer right here, mutes her personal acquainted comedic strengths to play a modified “La Femme Nikita” sort, letting her co-star get the laughs. However she retains a barely goofy, girl-next-door high quality, so we by no means fairly purchase Emma as some type of lethal ninja molded by diabolical minders she will’t absolutely escape.
Fortunately, “Position Play” is dealt with evenly sufficient by Vincent’s route and Seth Owen’s script that we by no means really feel the necessity to take it very significantly. Which is lucky, as a result of in any other case we’d must ponder why we’re rooting for an amorally ruthless hitwoman anyway. (That quandary will get evaded partially by avoiding graphic violence, regardless of a reasonably excessive physique rely.)
That mentioned, it’s a small letdown that the later progress replaces earlier tongue-in-cheek buoyancy with just-OK motion suspense. The gamers are deft sufficient that a little bit extra wit within the writing would have certainly been well-served. (Nighy specifically makes a lot of comparatively little.) And whereas briskly dealt with, not one of the concepts listed here are contemporary sufficient for “Position Play” to attain factors on narrative or character unpredictability.
But it’s a good-enough time, attractively produced, capable of get by on sheer amiability when Dave — in a second of emergency marital evaluation — encapsulates these 101 minutes all too succinctly with “I really like you and I really like our household however killing is unhealthy.”
