Mindhorn is the greatest detective that ever lived – on the Isle of Man. Let's say, this guy has it all. A beautiful woman, a cool car, he is a master of capoeira and is part bionic. In fact, with his bionic eye, Detective Bruce P Mindhorn can see the TRUTH. At least, that's what the Isle of Man's most wanted man believes. The mad serial killer, who goes by the name of ‘The Kestrel', is demanding to talk to Detective Mindhorn, or more people will die.
However, there is one major problem. Detective Bruce Mindhorn is not real. Mindhorn was nothing more than a crazy fictional character from a god awful 80s TV show. A terribly low budget version of the Million Dollar Man which somehow became very popular. And it seems that ‘The Kestrel' is his number one fan. Running out of time and options, the Police contact the now tragic, washed-up actor Richard Thorncroft to play Mindhorn one last time. But, after all these years can the now fat and bald Richard Thorncroft do this? Or will he tap into his inner Mindhorn to reveal the truth and become the hero that he once was?
It's fair to say, that Mindhorn is every bit as bonkers as it sounds. For me, this film has all of the hallmarks to become a future British comedy classic. First off, the story of Mindhorn comes from two of the key members of the cult comedy show The Mighty Boosh. Put it this way, if you are a fan of that show and the ludicrously unique style of British comedy, then Mindhorn will be right up your street. Julian Barratt and Simon Farnaby clearly had a huge amount of fun penning the script, which went on to be nominated for a British Independent Film Award.
Now, as far as I am concerned the Direction of Mindhorn is touching on genius. Yes, it looks cheap and almost like it should be a straight to TV film. But, that's the point, Mindhorn is a brilliant parody of itself and the bonkers world of the 70s & 80s trashy TV shows. So, for me, the director Sean Foley does an outstanding job transferring the whacky madness onto the screen. Foley allows every single pun, to pop and draws focus perfectly on the spectacular physical humor too.
As you would expect, there are a few famous cameos that clearly have lots of fun playing themselves. For example, Kenneth Branagh is brilliant in a scene where he observes Richard Thorncroft auditioning for a part and it must have taken a thousand takes for him to keep a straight face. Then Simon Callow is equally brilliant attempting to remember what part Thorncroft was famous for. On top of this, there is the fantastic Essie Davis cast as Minhorns on-screen and off-screen love interest. Add to that David Schofield, Nicholas Farrell, Harriet Walter, Andrea Riseborough, Russell Tovey, and Richard McCabe. And you have a list of serious acting talent, who create the backbone to the real madness of Mindhorn.
Mindhorn boasts some of the best names in modern British Comedy. Steve Coogan is great as Mindhorn's co-star and nemesis Peter Eastman. In fact, Coogan's character seems to be a parody of himself. But all of the credit has to go to the real talent behind Mindhorn, Julian Barratt, and Simon Farnaby. Barratt is just amazing playing Richard Thorncroft and fans won't be disappointed. Some of the scenes in Mindhorn are Julian Barrett at his absolute bonkers best and if you are anything like me, you will be hitting rewind heaps of times to view real genius moments again and again. But equally, Simon Farnaby is matching Barrett with his hilarious character Clive Parnevik. Farnaby is hilarious using a similar accent to the Dutch Goldmember character from Austin Powers.
Mindhorn is definitely the sort of movie that you will either love or hate. But, it's a safe bet that if you like The Mighty Boosh and remember shows like the Six Million Dollar Man, then you are going to love Mindhorn. I loved every mad minute of this film and keep picking up more from it each time I watch it. If you are looking for a good laugh, then get ready to be blown away by Bruce P Mindhorn.
