This Means War

Tom Hardy and Chris Pine play two best friends who also happen to be spies. Both fall for the same woman (Reese Witherspoon) and end of using the full resources of the CIA in order to win her (or at least stop the other one winning her). The love triangle is hardly a new plot device, but the spy element should add a bit of fun and a bit of action. After all, director McG (however bad his track record on the big screen) has some form in the knockabout spy comedy from TV series Chuck.

Watching the film, it has moments and it has potential, but is overall disappointingly flat. On the fun side, there are definitely laugh out loud funny moments - a few of them were even not included in the trailer - a paintball date and a viewing of Klimt paintings stand out as being amongst the funnier moments. However, as far as the action goes, the spy plot kind of feels crammed in round the edges of the film. Only the final car chase feels really satisfying, with earlier sequences feeling rushed, clumsy and poorly cut.

The characters are largely underwritten, but the cast are game. Witherspoon and Pine are old hands at this kind of thing and gamely give it their all and their side of the triangle is probably the one with the most zing. The usually great Tom Hardy suffers the most. This is partly due the character, who is supposed to be the earnest, straightforward one to Pine's more playboy-ish, the Bourne to his Bond if you will. However, it feels a bit more than that and you can't help the nagging sense that maybe, great actor though he is, he is a little bit miscast here. Certainly the bromance with Pine falters when it should fizz.

Overview - 6/10 There have been a lot worse comedies made. This one has genuinely funny moments, but takes a long time to get going and never really totally loses a slightly flat feel.