Scott Adkins is always watchable, but the man has a few turkeys in his back catalogue and unfortunately, Legacy Of Lies is one. He plays Martin Baxter, a former MI6 Agent living with his 12 year old daughter in a dingy Peckham flat. He works as a bouncer and has a side hustle as a cage fighter, but is also a broken man, tormented by the memory of a mission gone bad.
Then one day, the daughter of a dead friend turns up asking for his help. Before he can even answer, bullets start flying and Baxter winds up in the middle of an intricate spy web, trying to retrieve a MacGuffin that could bring down the Russian Government.
This is definitely more Bourne than Boyka, but it misses the mark. There's a couple of cracking action scenes in here, including a nightclub shoot out and a short but memorable punch-up with Leon Sua, but otherwise it drags. The final confrontation on a bridge is disappointing and the film is so unsubtle, there's literally a scene where one character turns to face the camera and explains the title.
It's not terrible, but it's not amazing either. Legacy Of Lies is okay. It's all right. And credit to the cinematographer, Kiev looks amazing. But if you're an Adkins fan, this is way down on the list of his essential movies.
Then one day, the daughter of a dead friend turns up asking for his help. Before he can even answer, bullets start flying and Baxter winds up in the middle of an intricate spy web, trying to retrieve a MacGuffin that could bring down the Russian Government.
This is definitely more Bourne than Boyka, but it misses the mark. There's a couple of cracking action scenes in here, including a nightclub shoot out and a short but memorable punch-up with Leon Sua, but otherwise it drags. The final confrontation on a bridge is disappointing and the film is so unsubtle, there's literally a scene where one character turns to face the camera and explains the title.
It's not terrible, but it's not amazing either. Legacy Of Lies is okay. It's all right. And credit to the cinematographer, Kiev looks amazing. But if you're an Adkins fan, this is way down on the list of his essential movies.