This Means War

UK Release: 2nd March 2012

Watched in Cinema: Tuesday 14th February 2012

Rating: 12A

Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance

Runtime: 1hr 38mins

Tagline: It's SPY against SPY.

IMDb Plot Synopsis: Two top CIA operatives wage an epic battle against one another after they discover they are dating the same woman.

My Review: I’ve been excited to see this film for a while now purely due to Tom Hardy being one of the leads! He is pretty much my number one crush at the moment and this would be his first blockbuster role starring alongside Chris Pine and Reese Witherspoon. Therefore when I spotted the opportunity to go along to a preview screening I couldn’t help but go check it out. And while I wasn’t sure at first if an action rom-com involving spies would stand up and not be a complete cheese fest I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. 

It began promisingly with some excellent action sequences that helped to satisfy my 14 year old brother! It set up the premise of these two best friends (who just happen to be CIA agents!) meeting the lovely Lauren played by Witherspoon. There were many hilarious sequences that you might find in a rom-com but with the refreshing twist of the two guys vying for her attention being spies as well as both being genuinely good people: either one could be the perfect guy for her. It was slow in places often, I found, when Witherspoon wasn’t on screen which could be due to her being by far the most experienced lead actor in the film. But this is what is so great about this film: it was really a spy, action, romance or comedy film - it was a bromance. Yes, when it came down to it, it was really about Hardy and Pine staying friends no matter what which was a brilliant modern take on the rom-com concept. This Means War was a fun, entertaining film that shouldn’t be taken seriously - instead just go along for the ride!

Score: 8/10