Movie Review: "Mindhorn" (2017)

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Movie: "Mindhorn"
Director: Sean Foley
Year: 2017
Rating: NR
Running Time: 1 hour, 29 minutes

An out of work, over-the-hill actor is asked to reprise his most famous role of Detective Mindhorn in order to help the Isle of Man police catch a killer who refuses to speak to anyone except the fictional Detective Mindhorn.

"Mindhorn" is the directorial debut of Sean Foley. It is written by Julian Barratt and Simon Farnaby, who both also star in the film. Barratt plays the titular character of actor Richard Thorncroft, who played an extremely popular television character named detective Mindhorn, and Farnaby plays Thorncroft's stunt double Clive Parnevik. Thorncroft is an out of work actor whose biggest hit was an 80's sci-fi detective show called "Mindhorn." Riding high on the success of the show, he moves to Hollywood for more opportunities. In the 25 years since the show ended, he has done very little and is desperate for work. Just when he's at his lowest point, the police from his old home, the Isle of Man, come calling and ask him to reprise his role as "Mindhorn" in order to speak with a murder suspect who is obsessed with his hit television show and is only willing to talk to him.

This is a British comedy film that was released directly on Netflix. We knew nothing about it and only watched because it was brand new at the time. The premise for films like this is tried and true, but it sure is a good one when executed properly. We have seen movies about actors forced to live out their roles for real (for one reason or another) in films like some of our favorites, "¡Three Amigos!" and "Galaxy Quest." Much like those two titles, "Mindhorn" made us laugh quite a lot. It's a bit of a spoof on on older television shows like "The Six Million Dollar Man." It is always fun to see self-centered, posh actors who think extremely highly of themselves and pretend to be tough get put in situations where they actually have to be. This character in particular, as well as this movie as a whole, is full of wit. We had never heard of Julian Barrett and have never seen his previous shows or films, but he does a fantastic job in his role and is very funny.

We laughed consistently throughout the movie's run time and thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot isn't complex and is somewhat formulaic, but it still managed to draw us in, especially when Mindhorn shows off his capoeira skills. This goofy randomness reminds us something you may find in "Monty Python." If you are into British comedy at all and don't mind movies that feel like elongated TV pilots, "Mindhorn" is one worth checking out.

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My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90%
Do we recommend the film: Yes!