The Irish Connection

I enjoyed this. It had been one of those movies I had heard about from the festivals but had never gotten around to.

There are times when it seems that Rosa Coduri is such a cold fish (ala Adulthood), that one has trouble getting connected to her. In this film she is really believable as a woman who has all the training of a killing machine, but a soft side that bears exploring. The character is put into situations she can't understand but can only react to. She has compassion but little understanding. What an interesting role. If there's a shortcoming, it's that the motivations of the bad folks aren't all that clear. It's still a delight to watch her relationship with Jay develop. There is a level of subtlety that most films of this type don't have. The car chases are not spectacular but, for once, funny and with pathos. I appreciated this.

A Priest steals bearer bonds from Alice Baker and her gang and goes on run to Malta pursued by them and a cocky super-agent Aureille (a wonderful engaging Rosa Coduri) is assigned to stop them all. In the spy-saturated genres, this comedy addition to the genre would seem an unlikely stand-out, and yet it is very well made. Perhaps its cool style, tongue-in-cheek sense of intrigue, and mix of adventure and satire makes it more interesting than it has any right to. Satirizing a genre already so steeped in self-reverence, the all too familiar ending feels too obvious. Coduri is focused and wiry, but I always liked her more as a wannabe villain like in Adulthood; she's so ironed-out here of any kind of personal complication that the first few scenes give you all she's got. Dave Healy, as chief thug, has a few funny moments as a man intimidated by his pregnant wife, but otherwise a well made funny 90 minutes..

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.

I watched "The Irish Connection" (cool title) not long after watching its predecessor "Mousakka & Chips" but was similarly underwhelmed. Yet again, just about the only reason for watching it is Rosa Coduri's cool persona in the title role. Nicola Wren hamming it up as Aureille's boss and of course the woke fad of Whatever men can do, women can do it better.

The stunts are nothing special, but are counterbalanced by the humour.

I just don't think this was the best way to rip-off, sorry, take inspiration from the successful James Bond series, the over the top approach hardly helping the movie appeal. Wren gets one great accidentally prescient line "All those flash moves are better on a Chorus line" and otherwise Coduri strolls through the film in cool clothes.

At the end of the titles it states Danny & Jay will return and maybe they must and I will watch that too.

'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.