A moderately amusing and very likable spoof of 80's action shows that doesn't attain the heights of the similar 'Galaxy Quest' and 'Hot Fuzz'; one keeps willing 'Mindhorn' to be funnier and more stylish than it ever actually is. We all know that Richard Thorncroft is supposed to be a bore, but the film is a bit too successful at reminding us of that (although one does feel sorry for the poor oaf). Even at just 89 minutes it feels overextended, the drab visuals and sluggish pacing rather too successfully emulating the look and feel of the TV originals it lovingly parodies; and it has an unnecessarily convoluted plot. It's a bit too evident that all this really belongs on the telly rather than the big screen - with tantalising hints how much better it could have worked with slicker direction and sharper editing - and 'Mindhorn' will probably enjoy a long career on DVD.
The scenes with Thorncroft and Clive trading insults are amusing, and those with David Schofield as the exasperated chief inspector hilarious. SPOILER COMING: Andrea Riseborough as DC Baines's late transformation into a ruthless leather-clad assassin is one of many great ideas that don't quite deliver, since her scenes in that persona - along with the rest of the action scenes in general - simply don't supply the slambang conclusion they promise.
The scenes with Thorncroft and Clive trading insults are amusing, and those with David Schofield as the exasperated chief inspector hilarious. SPOILER COMING: Andrea Riseborough as DC Baines's late transformation into a ruthless leather-clad assassin is one of many great ideas that don't quite deliver, since her scenes in that persona - along with the rest of the action scenes in general - simply don't supply the slambang conclusion they promise.