The Reel Review
When her estranged father shows up at her mother’s funeral offering her a chance to reconnect and work with him in Egypt, Maya jumps at the opportunity, only to discover once in Cairo that her dad is a spy and now she is in grave danger. Phoebe Dynevor (Fair Play, Bridgerton) and Rhys Ifans (House of the Dragon, The King’s Man, Notting Hill) star in this spy thriller.
Filmed entirely on an iPhone and incorporating such exotic locales as Cairo, Delhi and Seoul, co-writer/director Neil Burger (The Marsh King’s Daughter, The Upside) showcases some shaky point-of-view camerawork in his fairly humdrum but admittedly much more realistic knockoff of a Jason Bourne thriller. Dynevor’s Maya clearly is no super spy, but she is a clever woman with a knack for reading a situation and trusting her gut instincts.
Solid performances and a twisty ending help offset some predictable story developments and a sluggish midsection.
REEL FACTS
• A native of Manchester, England, Phoebe Dynevor’s parents are actress Sally Dynevor and screenwriter Tim Dynevor. She has been acting since she was the age of 14.
• The son of two schoolteachers, Rhys Ifans is a native of Pembrokeshire, Wales. He was previously engaged to actress Sienna Miller. A Welsh speaker, Ifans has appeared in numerous Welsh language productions.
• A graduate of Yale University, film writer/director Neil Burger has also done television, directing the first two episodes of Billions on Showtime.
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