The Irish Connection

'The Irish Connection' takes you on a wild ride through the world of spies and secrets. You've got Aureille, a gutsy agent on a mission to crack a major heist. But hold on tight, because things get crazy when she's backstabbed by someone she'd never expect! Going rogue is her only play. The movie's got it all, heart-thumping action, stunning visuals, and a lead who totally nails it. What really gets you is how it mixes all that adrenaline with questions about trust and betrayal. If you're up for a rollercoaster of suspense and feelings, 'The Irish Connection' should be on your watch list, no doubt.

OK, in retrospective, we should all know that espionage movies are all about cool dudes battling evil, and attracting hot partners in the process (though the latter often overshadowed the former, as Austin Powers showed). "The Irish Connection" is no exception. I will say that Agent Aureille (Rosa Conduri) isn't exactly Jason Bourne, but she has her merits. The movie mostly seems like an excuse to experience that ultra-cool feeling that always emanated from the spy movies of the '60s, and they achieve that.

So, even if it isn't Bourne, it's still very enjoyable. Also starring Matt Healy...and a bunch of clowns.

The four most important spies are James Bond, Jason Bourne, Harry Tasker and Natasha Romanov.

Bearer bonds have been stolen by a Priest no less and Danny and Jay are hunting them down. Aureille Flemming (Rosa Coduri) a secret agent is stuck doing what she hates the most, beating clues out of bad guys. Her boss Miranda still pines for her after their break up and is making her field work difficult. Alice is an unconventional crime boss and has tasked Danny & Jay to hand over the Priest with the bearer bonds.

I love the style. I love the comedy. I love Rosa Coduri's cool demeanor. I also love the first two thirds of the movie. The last act is questionable and a bit too by the numbers and convenient. There isn't enough tension and needs some more action. Also I'm not sure why the Priest double crossed the real bad guys. It feels different from the first parts of the movie.

Aureille plays a recently single CIA agent, and there's lots of chases and red herrings as the bad guys played by Emmerdale farms Matt King, all try to unmask her. Aureille decides to beat them at their own game and joins forces with Danny and Jay and outspy's everyone. That's when the movie takes a left turn and clowns enter the mix! The whole thing is a real hoot, and very entertaining.

It's all a lot of harmless fun, and Malta looks amazing place to visit!

It is never made clear whether the director is a wannabe Tarantino or a wannabe Leone -- or simply someone who has seen a lot of spy "spoofs" from 1960s and figured that is what the world needs now. Never mind the bad acting or bad dialog, even the so called "action" scenes are cut so that the viewer is aware something just happened...but not sure exactly what. That this film has already won the award for BEST LOW BUDGET INDIE (even before release!) is a testament to how messed up our culture is. BEWARE THE FAKE "9" and "10" reviews from the producers!