Johnny English Details

Fans of Rowan Atkinson's rubbery-faced brand of physical comedy will know what to expect from this unassuming slice of slapstick. Based on a character portrayed by the Mr Bean star in a series of Barclaycard adverts, it utilises a very British strain of schoolboy humour to send up another home-grown institution — the James Bond-style super-spy. Atkinson plays the titular hero, an enthusiastic but bumbling intelligence agent appointed to track down those behind the theft of the crown jewels. In a performance comprised largely of facial tics, childish pratfalls and poo jokes, Atkinson manages to bring the simplistic screenplay to life —and even gets the girl (Natalie Imbruglia) in the process. Sliding Doors director Peter Howitt aims the movie directly at family audiences, forgoing subtlety for youngster-friendly sight gags, while the actors — particularly John Malkovich as a French megalomaniac — seem to relish the opportunity to lark around.

Smooth megalomaniac Pascal Sauvage (Malkovich), a French prison construction magnate, feels so much hatred for Britain... read more on Time Out