Warning: Major spoilers for Back in Action below!Netflix’s latest action comedy Back in Action is loaded with callbacks and easter eggs to other spy films and shows. Back in Action marks Cameron Diaz’s acting comeback after a decade-long hiatus, which is bringing a lot of attention to the slick action caper. Reviews for Back in Action have been somewhat tepid so far, though the combination of Diaz, Jamie Foxx and the rest of the cast makes it destined to be a streaming hit for Netflix.

While technically an original work, the movie does borrow heavily from other espionage movies before it. Some of these references are blindingly obvious – including multiple nods to a certain British spy – while others are a little more obscure. Regardless, spotting these references will add to the fun of Back in Action for genre fans.

13

Jason Bourne

At least Emily and Matt remember their pasts

Once Emily (Cameron Diaz) and Matt’s (Jamie Foxx) children finally learn their parents were badᴀss spies, they have a million questions. They ask if they were spies in the same vein as Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne, to which Foxx’s Matt states they were, but they can both remember their pasts.

A new Jason Bourne movie is said to be in development with Edward Berger currently attached as director.

It’s also nice that almost a decade on from the last sequel, Jason Bourne, teenagers are still thinking of the character as one of the ultimate spies.

12

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Both the Mr. & Mrs. Smith movie and TV show see a married couple struggling with their suburban lives

Back in Action can be broadly compared to both the Mr. & Mrs. Smith movie and TV series, though it draws more inspiration from the former. They all involve spies/ᴀssᴀssins trying to maintain a normal, “boring” suburban existence while tampering down their natural impulses for action. In contrast to Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Back in Action’s characters are happy with their family life until adventure comes calling. All three projects also feature the family home being torn apart by gunfire, shattering the facade of normalcy the couple has erected.

11

24

Back in Action’s MacGuffin shares something in common with 24

The device Back in Action’s villains seek is called the ICS master key, which can override power plants, dams, nuclear reactors, and so on. The way the ICS can hack into a country’s infrastructure bears a resemblance to the CIP device from 24 season 7 too.

This nasty module could also hack into America’s critical infrastructure, with terrorists using it to crash a plane and target a chemical plant.

10

Andrew Scott

Scott is best known as Moriarty from BBC’s Sherlock

Back in Action cast Andrew Scott as Baron, a former love interest of Emily’s. Scott plays the stern MI6 agent chasing after “The Bakers,” with the movie framing him as a potential villain. This is largely down to the actor’s previous roles, like C in James Bond adventure Spectre or Moriarty in Sherlock. In a surprise move, Baron is revealed to be totally on the level, with Scott’s casting intended to misdirect audiences.

9

True Lies

Both Harry and Matt know how to turn up the heat

True Lies is comparable to Back in Action in a couple of ways. This includes the domesticated spy angle, though the difference there is that Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Harry is an active spy keeping his double life a secret from his family. One setpiece in this 1994 James Cameron blockbuster sees Harry make a flamethrower out of a petrol pump, while Foxx’s Matt does the same when he and his family are ambushed by mercenaries.

8

Kingsman: The Secret Service

This spy action franchise gets a fun shoutout

While hanging around with their grandmother Ginny (Glenn Close), Matt and Emily’s children meet her eccentric boyfriend, Nigel (Jamie Demetriou). Nigel is trying to become a spy, and in addition to his throwing stars and other gear, he mentions having a bulletproof umbrella. This is an easter egg nod to the Kingsman franchise, where Colin Firth’s Harry is often seen wielding a bulletproof umbrella.

7

James Bond

The 007 saga gets multiple shoutouts

It’s impossible for any espionage movie or series not to reference James Bond in some way, and Back in Action is no different. On that score, the Netflix blockbuster features a very Bond-like pre-тιтle action sequence involving a plane, Nigel makes mention of a laser watch and Matt dons a tuxedo in the finale; he even has his own special drink order. Glenn Close plays the M-like former head of MI6 and gadget master Q also gets mentioned.

6

Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Neither Back in Action nor Fallout take the time to appreciate the art though

A decent chunk of Back in Action takes place in London, though it largely avoids visiting landmarks. A key exception is the finale, where Matt and Emily head to famed art gallery the Tate Modern to stop the sale of the ICS key to international buyers.

… Back in Action makes better use of the Tate Modern as a setting than Fallout.

This mirrors a key scene from Mission: Impossible – Fallout, where Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt runs (what else?) to the gallery to stop a mole from escaping. Given that it stages an actual fight inside the gallery, Back in Action makes better use of the Tate Modern as a setting than Fallout.

5

Spectre

Both spy movies climax with a speedboat chase on the River Thames

Aside from Andrew Scott, another link Back in Action makes to Spectre is the finale. In Spectre, Bond (Daniel Craig) chases after Blofeld’s (Christoph Waltz) helicopter in a speedboat. Somehow, 007 is able to shoot the chopper down with his Walter PPK from a long distance. Back in Action also features a speed boat chase, with the heroes chasing down the fleeing bad guy.

4

Die Hard

Nigel pulls an Argyle in Back in Action’s finale

While limo driver Argyle (De’voreaux White) doesn’t get much action in Die Hard, he helps foil the heist in the finale. This sees him ram his limo into a fake ambulance, which the thieves intended to use as their escape vehicle; Argyle also punches out the driver, tech expert Theo (Clarence Gilyard). Back in Action gives Nigel his own Argyle moment, where he rams the van of the hacker who possesses the ICS key, saving the day in the process.

3

Spy Kids

Alice and Leo might get more to do in Back in Action 2

Matt and Emily’s kids Alice (McKenna Roberts) and Leo (Rylan Jackson) spend much of the runtime unaware of their “lame” parents’ pasts, and it’s only when they witness them beating up goons that they learn the full story. While they don’t get into many spy jinks, Nigel tells Leo that spying is in “his blood.” This translates to helping his parents locate him with a secret message after he and Alice are kidnapped, while his tech savviness comes in handy several times. Like the Spy Kids series, it’s easy to see the kids playing a bigger role in a sequel.

2

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Dean Martin is on the playlist for both spy movies

The Mission: Impossible series got another nod when Back in Action sets the opening fight to “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” a classic Dean Martin song. The тιтle naturally adds a comic sting to the battle, but the sequence also recalls the prison break from the opening of 2011’s Ghost Protocol.

This sees Cruise’s Hunt breaking out of a Moscow prison, while the Martin song pipes over the intercom. Both films also seem to time the various hits to the beat of the music.

1

Knight and Day

Back in Action feels like a spiritual sequel to this Diaz/Cruise romp

Back in Action shares a lot of DNA with Knight and Day, a 2010 action spy comedy starring Diaz and Cruise. That film also features a major fight scene on a plane, which ends with the pilot accidentally being sH๏τ. Diaz and Foxx’s rapid-fire banter also mimics Knight and Day, with both films end with elaborate action sequences involving motorbikes. Back in Action feels like a rewrite could have retrofitted the story into a direct sequel, though it must be said that both the humor and setpieces of Knight and Day are much better.