Title: Back in Action
Actors: Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz
Director: Seth Gordon
Writer: Seth Gordon, Brendan O’Brien
Genre: Action
Length: 1 hour 54 minutes
My Rating: ❤️🖤🖤🖤🖤
Watch this movie now on Netflix
Back in Action
CIA spies Matt and Emily faked their deaths in a plane crash to leave their dangerous past behind. Emily recently discovered she’s pregnant, and the couple is determined to protect their child. Taking on new identities, they settle into a quiet life, raising two children and embracing the ordinary.
But their peaceful existence shatters one night after a fight at a club draws unwanted attention. Their old enemies have tracked them down, still searching for the key Matt and Emily stole during their final mission. Now, they’re forced back into the world of espionage. This time, it’s not just their lives on the line—they must fight to keep their children safe while outsmarting their enemies. Balancing their double lives has never been more dangerous.
Review
I was pretty excited to see Cameron Diaz back on screen. According to her IMDb page, her last project was in 2014—over ten years ago! She’s always been one of my favorite actresses, and I’m thrilled to see her return. Hopefully, this is just the start, and we’ll see her in more films—maybe even a rom-com.
Action movies aren’t usually my favorite genre. I tend to find them unimpressive or just end up watching bad ones. I was also a little hesitant when I saw this movie’s runtime—it’s around two hours, which felt a bit long going in.
The first part of the movie was easily my favorite. It kicked off with action-packed scenes and then transitioned to a flash-forward, fifteen years later, where Matt and Emily are living as regular people raising two teenagers. I thought it was both interesting and funny that their kids had no idea about their parents’ former lives as CIA spies. The way Matt and Emily still used their spy skills in parenting was an amusing touch.
The acting was, of course, excellent. What else would you expect from Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx? They’re both fantastic performers. On a side note, I have to give Jamie Foxx credit for his resilience. Considering his recent health struggles with a brain bleed and a stroke—having to relearn basic functions like walking—it’s incredible that he came back to finish the film. Truly impressive.
That said, those were the only highlights for me. The rest of the movie felt dull and predictable. I honestly wanted to turn it off and do something else. I also found the English stereotypes in the movie odd and unnecessary. Not every English person drinks tea and gin all the time, and they’re certainly not cold and unfriendly. I’ve been to England, and the people I met were so warm and welcoming.
If you’re looking for a family-friendly action movie, this one might be okay. But as an adult who just wanted to be entertained, it fell flat. The performances were great, and the first part of the film held my interest, but it went downhill quickly after that. The storyline was uninspired, and I kept hoping for something fresh or unexpected to happen—but it didn’t. I also think the runtime didn’t help; a shorter movie might have been more engaging.
Overall, it felt like a waste of time. I wanted more originality, more surprises—just more of something. Unfortunately, this movie didn’t deliver.