Philip Krieg aka Agent 07 returns after a six year hiatus in a new short film from AMPCorp's GK Productions branch. With a runtime under 20 min, it manages to give the viewer an understanding of what Krieg has been feeling during his absence. Krieg can't outrun his past as he gets tangled into a mystery which sets up an intriguing storyline. The directing and writing trio, Martin Groff, Peter Groff and Philip Krieg all deliver quotable dialogue and classic spy action sequences. "Means to and End" and "Safe House" were some of the shorts they made during the "Agent 07" hiatus. And it seems the experience of the continued exploration of the the action genre is part of the reason "Never and Always" works so well. The trio have successfully paced the high-stakes thrills and the complexity of the narrative as well as the emotional weight with Krieg's history into one entertaining short.
The location of the remote cabin house adds a sense of isolation for the characters. Symbolically it also works, since the focus is on one smaller story that is part of a larger puzzle piece. The further the breadcrumbs lead you, the more you can see the expanding picture of the story. The conflict between Krieg and Bronson also benefits from being set in a smaller scale environment due to it further enhancing that the battle is personal. What I always look forward to in a GK Productions movie is the use of practical effects and the props on display. With that aspect they don't disappoint. I love stuff like the smoke/dust in the air as wooden planks fall from the ceiling, or Krieg hiding behind a moving tractor as Bronson fires at him. These kind of details add believability to the action, and with that you can feel the stakes rise. As a relaunch of a series it hits the targets. The important characters are re-established and the action feels realistic with admirable stunt work. I think the sound mixing during the dialogue scenes can be improved as it was tricky to hear it well on a TV. Although when using headphones it was a lot better. With that in mind I hope that nobody will miss any clever lines from future installments. Other than that I'm happy for GK Productions. A short and sweet accomplishment that reminds us why we love this genre. They showed us the door with new potential, and I look forward to seeing Philip Krieg walking through that door.
