For some reason, the most popular sub-genre when it comes to original movies greenlit by Netflix and Amazon seems to be the spy comedy. These movies usually feature a variation on the same central setup, that of someone discovering a person they thought they knew well has secretly been living the life of a spy. By all accounts these films are uniformly awful. Director Neil Burger's Inheritance is made for neither Netflix nor Amazon but it has the sort of premise those streaming services seemingly can't get enough of. In this case it's a young woman who discovers her estranged father is secretly a spy.
The difference here is that Burger and co-writer Olen Steinhauer aren't playing this for laughs. Their espionage thriller has more in common with the Jason Bourne series than with the sort of Netflix spy movie that might feature much mugging from Dwayne Johnson or Mark Wahlberg.
It does however feature a leading lady who comes from the Netflix stable, Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor. She plays Maya, who after devoting the last nine months to caring for her dying mother now finds herself having something of a breakdown the night before her mother's funeral, wandering the streets of New York, stealing bottles of booze from bodegas and having a one night stand with a stranger. At the funeral Maya is surprised and none too happy when her estranged father Sam (Rhys Ifans) makes an appearance after a lengthy absence from her life. Claiming he wants to make up for his past sins, Sam offers Maya a well-paid job with his "real estate consultancy" firm. After some probing, Maya gets Sam to admit that his job helps rich people launder money through property. Despite the dubious nature of her father's business, Maya has no other prospects and so accepts the role of his assistant and accompanies him to strike a deal in Egypt.
On the flight, Sam reveals the real reason why he was absent for so much of Maya's life: he was an international spy, and he now uses the skills he attained to run his current business. Despite her anger, Maya quickly bonds with her dad, realising that they share similar traits when it comes to deception: we witness Maya shoplift various items with sleight of hand, from sunglasses in an airport store to a trinket in a Cairo bazaar. During dinner, Sam excuses himself to take a phone call, only for Maya to receive a frantic call from her dad minutes later ordering her to leave the restaurant immediately. Soon after Maya receives a second call from a man claiming he has kidnapped Sam, ordering her to follow a set of instructions if she ever wants to see her father alive again. Thus, Maya is plunged into a whirlwind of intrigue that sees her travel across Asia while being pursued by shady forces.
The Bourne Identity and its sequels brought the spy thriller into the 21st century by removing the glamour associated with the globetrotting nature of the James Bond movies. While Matt Damon's adventures saw him travel the globe, there was a quotidian presentation to the various stops on his journey, the action playing out in humdrum settings away from tourist spots. With the world shrinking, the travelogue aspect that made the James Bond movies so popular in the 20th century is no longer a draw, especially now when we can watch a detailed travelogue on YouTube if we wish to see some exotic sights. Shooting on an iPhone with a tiny crew, Burger nods to the aesthetic of such videos, following Maya around as though she were an influencer visiting a new city for the clicks. If you were watching Inheritance on a laptop and someone peered over your shoulder, they'd be forgiven for believing you were watching a YouTube travel channel.
Often resembling a found footage movie, the filming technique lends Inheritance an identifiable immediacy. Burger shot his movie guerrilla style, and when you see Maya steal a pair of sunglasses or slurp from a bottle of vodka on a busy street you're watching Dynevor do just that for real (though given the punishment she would have received, I have to assume Dynevor didn't risk swiping the Egyptian souvenir for real). When Maya clings to a motorcyclist as he hurtles through the teeming streets of Delhi, there's no stunt double for the actress, so the terror we see on her face is no doubt the real thing. It also adds greatly to the sense of paranoia: as Maya draws glances from strangers we wonder if their inquisitive actions are those of directed actors or simply unwitting members of the public who noticed an attractive young woman being followed by some bloke with an iPhone.
The latter makes Inheritance stand out from other female-centred spy thrillers, which usually play out like the protagonist was written as male and then simply had their name swapped out on the final draft of the script. The inconspicuous filming style makes us constantly aware of the vulnerability of Maya's femininity as she draws constant stares from men. At one point there's an unscripted bit of tension as Maya/Dynevor receives some unwanted attention from a couple of men on a Delhi street. Remaining in character throughout all these moments, Dynevor delivers a striking performance, the intimate camerawork capturing every new piece of confusion, paranoia and terror that crosses her mind.
In its best moments Inheritance reminds us just how thrilling the espionage genre can be when a filmmaker takes it seriously. The treasure hunt element of Maya's quest means we never know what to expect from scene to scene. Unfortunately things fall apart in the final act following a reveal of what's really happening to Maya. Once it lays its cards on the table, Inheritance deals us an underwhelming hand, petering out to a conclusion and wrapping up with one final twist that insults the audience by essentially cheating. If we're left feeling Burger has stuck the landing, we're in no doubt that Dynevor is the real deal.
Directed by: Neil Burger
Starring: Phoebe Dynevor, Rhys Ifans, Ciara Baxendale, Kersti Bryan
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