One of my favorite martial arts actors is Scott Adkins. I love everything he does so if his name is attached you can guarantee I will be checking it out. His latest, Legacy of Lies has him teaming up with director Adrian Bol and co-stars Honor Kneafsey. Could this be another great action piece to add to Adkins film legacy or will it fail to make the deal?

 

Legacy of Lies follows agent Martin Baxter who quit MI6 a decade ago, after his wife’s tragic murder in an operation gone wrong. But when Sacha, a beautiful journalist, asks for help solving an old case, Martin finds himself in the crosshairs of both UK and Russian intelligence. Now, with his daughter held captive by the KGB, Martin has just 24 hours to deliver the secret case files — which means risking both Sacha’s life and his own.

 

First and foremost let me say that while there is plenty of great action this is not an action movie. This is an espionage thriller that delivers everything in the genre you could expect infused with deep family drama. As a hardcore martial arts and Adkins fan I have to say I was initially bummed, but the story was so engaging I was all in. The action we get is gritty and well executed as expected, but not the dynamic high flying kicking fans are used to and it shouldn’t be. Make no mistake, it works and entertains, but there is so much more here.

 

The real power to this film is the relationship between the father/daughter duo played by Adkins and Kneafsey. Both had a lot of emotional moments that deliver the depth needed for this story to really work. While there is the government conspiracies, action and intrigue it’s the family element that carries this film. Adkins is great as always and given so much more character development to flex his acting chops more than usual. I’ve always felt he was a great actor, but think this might be one of if not his best acting performance to date. His co-star the young Honor Kneafsey is a force all her own. She is great