Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Neil Burger
Starring: Phoebe Dynevor, Rhys Ifans, Ciara Baxendale, Kersti Bryan
For some reason, the most popular sub-genre when it comes to original
movies greenlit by Netflix and Amazon seems to be the spy comedy. These
movies usually feature a variation on the same central setup, that of
someone discovering a person they thought they knew well has secretly
been living the life of a spy. By all accounts these films are uniformly
awful. Director Neil Burger's Inheritance is made for neither Netflix nor Amazon but it has the sort of
premise those streaming services seemingly can't get enough of. In this
case it's a young woman who discovers her estranged father is secretly a
spy.
The difference here is that Burger and co-writer Olen Steinhauer aren't playing this for laughs. Their espionage thriller has more
in common with the Jason Bourne series than with the sort of Netflix spy
movie that might feature much mugging from Dwayne Johnson or Mark
Wahlberg.
It does however feature a leading lady who comes from the Netflix
stable, Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor. She plays Maya, who after
devoting the last nine months to caring for her dying mother now finds
herself having something of a breakdown the night before her mother's
funeral, wandering the streets of New York, stealing bottles of booze
from bodegas and having a one night stand with a stranger. At the
funeral Maya is surprised and none too happy when her estranged father
Sam (Rhys Ifans) makes an appearance after a lengthy absence from
her life. Claiming he wants to make up for his past sins, Sam offers
Maya a well-paid job with his "real estate consultancy" firm. After some
probing, Maya gets Sam to admit that his job helps rich people launder
money through property. Despite the dubious nature of her father's
business, Maya has no other prospects and so accepts the role of his
assistant and accompanies him to strike a deal in Egypt.
On the flight, Sam reveals the real reason why he was absent for so
much of Maya's life: he was an international spy, and he now uses the
skills he attained to run his current business. Despite her anger, Maya
quickly bonds with her dad, realising that they share similar traits
when it comes to deception: we witness Maya shoplift various items with
sleight of hand, from sunglasses in an airport store to a trinket in a
Cairo bazaar. During dinner, Sam excuses himself to take a phone call,
only for Maya to receive a frantic call from her dad minutes later
ordering her to leave the restaurant immediately. Soon after Maya
receives a second call from a man claiming he has kidnapped Sam,
ordering her to follow a set of instructions if she ever wants to see
her father alive again. Thus, Maya is plunged into a whirlwind of
intrigue that sees her travel across Asia while being pursued by shady
forces.
The Bourne Identity and its sequels brought the spy thriller into the 21st century by
removing the glamour associated with the globetrotting nature of the
James Bond movies. While Matt Damon's adventures saw him travel the
globe, there was a quotidian presentation to the various stops on his
journey, the action playing out in humdrum settings away from tourist
spots. With the world shrinking, the travelogue aspect that made the
James Bond movies so popular in the 20th century is no longer a draw,
especially now when we can watch a detailed travelogue on YouTube if we
wish to see some exotic sights. Shooting on an iPhone with a tiny crew,
Burger nods to the aesthetic of such videos, following Maya around as
though she were an influencer visiting a new city for the clicks. If you
were watching Inheritance on a laptop and someone peered over your shoulder, they'd be
forgiven for believing you were watching a YouTube travel channel.
Often resembling a found footage movie, the filming technique
lends Inheritance an identifiable immediacy. Burger shot his movie guerrilla style,
and when you see Maya steal a pair of sunglasses or slurp from a bottle
of vodka on a busy street you're watching Dynevor do just that for real
(though given the punishment she would have received, I have to assume
Dynevor didn't risk swiping the Egyptian souvenir for real). When Maya
clings to a motorcyclist as he hurtles through the teeming streets of
Delhi, there's no stunt double for the actress, so the terror we see on
her face is no doubt the real thing. It also adds greatly to the sense
of paranoia: as Maya draws glances from strangers we wonder if their
inquisitive actions are those of directed actors or simply unwitting
members of the public who noticed an attractive young woman being
followed by some bloke with an iPhone.
The latter makes Inheritance stand out from other female-centred spy thrillers, which
usually play out like the protagonist was written as male and then
simply had their name swapped out on the final draft of the script.
The inconspicuous filming style makes us constantly aware of the
vulnerability of Maya's femininity as she draws constant stares from
men. At one point there's an unscripted bit of tension as Maya/Dynevor
receives some unwanted attention from a couple of men on a Delhi
street. Remaining in character throughout all these moments, Dynevor delivers a
striking performance, the intimate camerawork capturing every new piece
of confusion, paranoia and terror that crosses her mind.
In its best moments Inheritance reminds us just how thrilling the espionage genre can be when a
filmmaker takes it seriously. The treasure hunt element of Maya's quest
means we never know what to expect from scene to scene. Unfortunately
things fall apart in the final act following a reveal of what's really
happening to Maya. Once it lays its cards on the table, Inheritance deals us an underwhelming hand, petering out to a conclusion and
wrapping up with one final twist that insults the audience by essentially
cheating. If we're left feeling Burger has stuck the landing, we're in no
doubt that Dynevor is the real deal.
Inheritance is in US cinemas
from January 24th. A UK/ROI release has yet to be announced.
