The Irish Connection

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.