Bullet Points: Back in Action (2025)
I am back on Netflix duty and Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz are back in action, in the brand new Netflix action-comedy, Back in Action!
- Undercover Lovers: Matt (Jamie Foxx) and Emily (Cameron Diaz) are two undercover CIA operatives, on a European mission (in conjunction with MI6) to retrieve a high tech key. Matt and Emily are posing as a married couple and they get really into their assignment, so much that Emily is now pregnant with Matt’s baby! Before Emily can break the good news to Matt, they have a birthday party attend at Balthazar Gor’s mansion. The two manage to make their way into Gor’s office, where they retrieve the ICS key, but also trigger the security alarm… which gives us an opportunity to see their fighting skills as they make their way out of the mansion and back to their vehicle, so they can meet up with their MI6 contact, Baron.
- The Plane Ride from Hell: Matt, Emily and the ICS key are a private plane and on their way back to the United States. When Matt wants to celebrate the successful mission with some champagne, that’s when Emily breaks the news to Matt that he is going to be a daddy. Moments later, they realize the crew are bad guys looking to eliminate the CIA agents and take possession of the ICS key. This leads to total cabin chaos, and when Matt prevents Emily from being shot… the bullet meant for Emily, ends up in the skull of the pilot… and the plane soon finds itself wingless and sliding down the side of a mountain! Matt and Emily manage to escape, relatively unscathed… and that’s when they realize, everyone is going to assume they are dead, and raising a family and being in the CIA don’t mix… so why not let everyone think they are dead and give themselves a fresh start!?!? !
- Teenagers Amirite?: 15 years later… Matt and Emily’s lives are much different. They not only have a 14 year old daughter named Alice (McKenna Roberts), they also have a 12 year old son named Leo (Rylan Jackson). Alice has hit a rebellious stage and dealing with her is scarier than the dangers Matt and Emily faced during the CIA days. When Matt and Emily find out that Alice lied about studying at her friends’ house and that she is actually at a club downtown… they make their way downtown, find Alice and when they attempt to take her home… they get some resistance and some insults from some of the club’s patrons. And those patrons get their asses kicked with ease, as Matt and Emily’s CIA instincts kick in. Not surprisingly the incident goes viral and it’s not long before Matt and Emily’s old CIA handler, Chuck (Kyle Chandler) has tracked them down, warning them if he can find them, their old enemies can find them too! Just like that… Matt and Emily’s house is surrounded, there are bullets flying everywhere and the couple find themselves hopping in their minivan and racing over to the school to pick up their kids.
- They’re Back, Baby: It’s now time for a family trip to England, where Emily’s mother/retired MI6 agent, Ginny (Glenn Close), lives with her much younger lover and where Matt stashed the ICS key! As the danger increases, so do Alice and Leo’s questions about who the hell their parents really are… and Matt and Emily are forced to come clean with their kids. Not surprisingly, despite Matt and Emily’s best efforts the kids end up as pawns in the battle of good vs. evil, which kicks everything into high gear for an eventful action packed finale!
Back in Action is exactly what I expected it to be. It’s pretty clear that the movie was made for a broader audience, with its PG-13 rating and some well known actors. There’s enough action that makes it worth watching if you are a hardcore action fanatic, but it’s also the type of movie that a hardcore action fanatic can easily watch with their significant other or their kids or even their parents.
If you are looking for a lighthearted action comedy, look no further than Back in Action.
If you are looking for some Bonus Bullet Points, keep scrolling…
- The Name Game: Not to be confused with 1994’s Back in Action, starring Billy Blanks and Roddy Piper.
- Soundtraxx: There’s quite a mix of music in Back in Action. Salt-N-Pepa, Dean Martin, James Brown, Lauryn Hill, Etta James, and even Nat King Cole are featured.
- Familiar Face: I couldn’t help but notice Mr. Lee Charles as one of the bodyguards in Back in Action. I recognized Lee from his work in Accident Man and I Am Vengeance: Retaliation.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Mentos used as a weapon, then Back in Action is the movie for you.
- Back Again?: The movie ends with a tease that we could be seeing Matt, Emily and family back in action yet again…