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Legacy of Lies

Play trailer 1:28 Poster for Legacy of Lies R 2020 1h 41m Action Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 38% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
A former MI6 agent teams up with a Ukrainian journalist to uncover the truth behind Russian covert operations.
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Legacy of Lies

Critics Reviews

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Ellen E Jones Guardian 10/14/2020
1/5
Despite the script's investment in character development, the power dynamic in any given scene always boils down to who has the biggest Uzi. Go to Full Review
Dave Golder Radio Times Jan 14
2/5
These efforts are half-baked and clumsy, and the young girl is especially irritating. Go to Full Review
Linda Cook Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) 08/08/2020
3/4
Scott Adkins latest has heart ... and great fight choreography. Go to Full Review
Tom Jolliffe Flickering Myth 08/05/2020
Another film where Adkins hits the right notes more often than not and delivers something with a mark of quality that many of his contemporaries are regularly failing to hit. Go to Full Review
Brian Costello Common Sense Media 08/04/2020
3/5
Action movie with a pro-free speech message; violence. Go to Full Review
Ed Travis Cinapse 07/28/2020
This here is a message movie, a genuine Ukrainian thumbing of the nose at Vladimir Putin, and it's packaged as a Scott Adkins movie loaded with thrills and spills. I can get behind that. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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TheMovieSearch R @TheMovieSearch 5d Legacy of Lies is an action film that feels like a missed opportunity from start to finish. Instead of pulling you into its world, it constantly reminds you of what it could have been with stronger direction and a tighter script. The story feels scattered and unfocused, jumping between plot points without building real tension or emotional investment. The director seems unsure of the tone, shifting between dark, serious moments and generic action beats that never fully land. The screenplay is its weakest element, with flat dialogue and underdeveloped ideas that make the film feel longer than it actually is. While there are small flashes of potential buried in the premise, they’re never explored in a meaningful way. It may work for viewers who enjoy very basic, low-stakes action thrillers, but for most audiences, it’s a forgettable experience that fails to leave a lasting impression. See more Gabriel S Feb 1 Legacy of Lies works as an independent film with a straightforward and simple story, delivering what the action genre demands. Without delving into character development, the film focuses more on external events, mainly the conflicts and tensions inherent in the world of espionage. The movie tells the story of Martin Baxter, an ex-MI6 agent trying to get by in the underworld of London with his brilliant daughter Lisa. The past is a stain on his memory that constantly haunts him. As in all stories of "trying to leave the past behind," the past knocks on his door, and the files he failed to recover in his last mission resurface through the journalist daughter of the man he once spied on. Martin Baxter, played by Scott Adkins, is the typical tough guy in the style of Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, and the like. The kind of guy who exudes testosterone and needs more brains, solving everything with a good fight rather than intellect. His internal struggle is the stain on his past that he needs to overcome to keep his head and, so, his life. The antagonist is more a governmental entity than a specific person, which ends up being the film's theme, given that even entities like the CIA and MI6, which theoretically would be "the good guys," are grayer and have their own interests than the actual antagonist entity, making the plot even more interesting. The film itself seems to have had relative success according to questionable sources like Wikipedia, ranking fourth in theaters and second on Netflix. Box office data shows failure in the United Arab Emirates, and the film's overall rating on sites like RT and IMDb indicates moderate performance. Director Ad Bol, as known, has a modest track record of films, being more proficient as a screenwriter. However, Legacy of Lies has been nominated and received some awards like Best Film in several independent award venues. Surprising, as the film lacks a deep story with adequate character development. On the plot, much of it consists of choreographed fights with some light gunfights, nothing on a large scale, even though the consequences of such files falling into the wrong hands, in this case, the Russians, seem severe. But the story represses this idea, implying that everything happens on a smaller scale, with the main danger being something the trailer doesn't even make clear since Lisa doesn't appear in it. Lisa, in fact, seems like a character the writers added to create false tension in the story, which could have been satisfied with more elaborate tension on a large scale. So it turns out that the B plot with Lisa and Martin is superficial. Legacy of Lies delivers an action story that satisfies fans of the genre with its shootouts and exaggerated choreographies. In terms of content, it is as similar as watching any other action movie with someone like Statham. Guaranteed fun, nonexistent depth. See more Rebecca S 02/17/2024 One of the better Adkins movies, martial arts usually is good in his movies but here you can really see the possibility oh him being an actor, too. Good chemistry between the leads. See more Jim W 01/05/2024 It was so formulaic it was boring to watch. They took an hour and a half of lines and scenes from other movies, mashed them together, and went to print. Summary: a movie made completely of video and script cliches. See more jelisije j 04/22/2022 A surprisingly good action film that relied on a more realistic story than an over the top one. See more 10/25/2021 Spoilers: Looks like Ben Affleck, talks like Jason Statham. Kicks butt like Jason Bourne his own self!! Whatever. London? Ukraine? Moscow? Where are we? Ukraine ingenue, bad women, news reporters, a ghost, a badass with little girl (the Professional Jean Reno with Natalie Portman?). CIA, MI6, FSB, Russians? Where's the mob? Hey, they are the mob! Fistfights, shootings, everybody was kung fu fighting! WTF? Blood thicker than vodka -- if only they hadn't jeopardized his kid. Bad rich guys runnin the world with lies. Take that, Vladdy! Tell us something we don't know. Precocious kids running the world is the ticket. Greta, where are you? Wait ... it's still the Russians ... or the CIA or MI6 ... or whatever. Actually not awfully done. See more Read all reviews
Legacy of Lies

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Movie Info

Synopsis A former MI6 agent teams up with a Ukrainian journalist to uncover the truth behind Russian covert operations.
Director
Adrian Bol
Producer
Adrian Bol, Alla Belaya
Screenwriter
Adrian Bol
Production Co
Film Poland Productions, Legacy Films, Toy Cinema, Sarke Studio, Principal Film Finance, Ukrainian State Film Agency, 13 Films, Eager Films B.V.
Rating
R (Some Sexuality/Nudity|Language|Violence)
Genre
Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 26, 2020
Runtime
1h 41m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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