Review
Back in Action (Action, Comedy) (2025)
Director: Seth Gordon
Writer: Seth Gordon, Brendan O'Brien, Lillian Yu
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, McKenna Roberts, Rylan Jackson
Due to expecting a baby together, two spies retire to suburban life after a daring mission before being yanked back into their former lives with their children in tow.
Initially postponed, "Back in Action" was released in January of 2025. Seeing the on-screen return of Cameron Diaz to grace our screens alongside Jamie Foxx. Being in the works since 2022, production truly began in December of that same year. Filming took place globally, mainly around London and Atlanta. It has been produced by Chernin Entertainment, Exhibit A and Good One while being distributed by Netflix.
After infiltrating a children's birthday party, two well-associated secret agents obtain a device with the ability to control any electronic system on Earth. Ambushed during their aerial getaway, Matt (Jamie Foxx) and Emily (Cameron Diaz) manage to counter the incursion and abort the aircraft. Just beforehand, Emily reveals she is pregnant with their child, and thus, they decide to make an unbeknownst retirement from the world of espionage. Now residing in Atlanta with two teenagers, their past comes back to bite them as their helicopter parenting ways, causing a ruckus in a nightclub while recovering their rebellious underaged daughter, makes the covert agencies aware of their whereabouts, forcing them back into the fold for the time being.
Flashy, action-packed, yet unambiguous, Seth Gordon's feature allows Foxx and Diaz to provide their most well-known acting trademarks while confined neatly in a Netflix-typical package.
Readying themselves for their latest mission, Foxx's Matt and Diaz's Emily have different concerns, with the latter seen taking birth tests, which seems undoubtedly tricky while serving covert operations worldwide. As their assignment is elaborated upon, finding themselves crashing an unusual party for such a perilous task—this perhaps reiterates the theme established, readying the viewer for the remainder. Once the introductory sections have concluded, and both agents are back on the radar, they stumble through the narrative comedically as a sort of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, who aren't intent on ending each other's lives.
It's overly apparent that Gordon intends to prove we're "Back in Action", zipping around the globe, avoiding the sword of Damocles. Having the spies in question drag along their children for the ordeal should present some additional tension. It is certainly not the only spy flick that introduces such an angle; it serves a purpose mostly to provide some relatable parent-child comedy. Other than that, they're ducking and weaving the CIA and MI6, yet lacking a narrative definition. Which, perhaps, wasn't needed in the first place as the identity is clear enough, not keen to prove itself as anything else but popcorn entertainment, hoping that its action velocity would get audiences through the door.
As proven by many an action-flick before, there's always an audience for these sorts of features. This fact, along with the easy access to Netflix, which is still the largest streaming service to date, combined with an on-screen return by Diaz, provides plenty of bait to those anxiously awaiting something new. Regrettably, both actors suffer, as there's a void of chemistry between them, and they are relegated to subpar straight-to-streaming roles. For those desiring a brainless bout of spy-based nonsense, that is precisely what this is. Sadly for Gordon, even within this particular niche, better films are to be had, and I'm not sure I can personally forgive him for ruining Diaz's gracious return either, who we hadn't seen in cinema since 2014's musical adaptation "Annie", she deserved better and so does Foxx for that matter.
Verdict
With a device that is able to control any electronics, I'd probably use it to disable Netflix's servers at this point.
4,5
