Aaron Eckhart portrays a secret agent in his new movie The Bricklayer, co-starring Nina Dobrev, and he gives James Bond fans the 007 that they deserve.
According to the synopsis on Rotten Tomatoes: “The Bricklayer follows a rogue insurgent blackmailing the CIA by assassinating foreign journalists and making it appear the agency is responsible. As other nations begin turning against the U.S., the CIA must lure Steve Vail (Aaron Eckhart) — their most brilliant and rebellious operative — out of retirement. With an elite and deadly skill set, Vail is tasked with helping clear the agency’s name, forcing him to confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy.”
Aaron Eckhart, who got big mainstream exposure with his portrayal of Batman’s nemesis, Two-Face, in The Dark Knight (2008), acquits himself well as the reluctant CIA Operative Steve Vail.
The female lead CIA agent Kate Bannon is portrayed by Nina Dobrev, known for her role in The Vampire Diaries. Dobrev gives the most realistic portrayal of a secret agent that movie fans have seen in a long time. Contrary to the tired Hollywood trope of “the bad-ass strong independent woman agent,” her character’s charmingly delicate, almost girlish, and playful demeanor steals the show.
There are definite parallels to be drawn between The Bricklayer and the James Bond movies. Steve Vail may not be the suave womanizer that James Bond is, but he’s by no means inept when it comes to a woman, and he does exude bashful confidence. There’s no shortage of pretty women either, with Nina Dobrev (portraying CIA agent Kate Bannon) and Ilfenesh Hadera (portraying an old love interest and CIA agent Tye Delson).
There is even a Q-like character, an undercover agent who provides the duo of Steve and Kate with passports, handguns, and a tricked-out Mercedes CLS AMG V8 Biturbo. This tricked-out version unfortunately doesn’t have ejector seats, invisibility mode, or smoke screens, but it has been bored out to 7.2 liters, adding 550 horsepower, with beefed-up brakes and suspension and a reinforced front and rear fascia.
Then of course there is the main villain, and in The Bricklayer he is brilliantly portrayed by Clifton Collins Jr., playing the part of the rogue insurgent assassinating journalists in a master plan to set the CIA as the culprit. Once it becomes clear why he does what he is doing one has sympathy for his motives, although not necessarily for his methods.
If you like your secret agents masculine and your female stars feminine, then The Bricklayer is well worth the watch. If James Bond was American, his name would have been Steve Vail. Aaron Eckhart gives 007 fans the James Bond they deserve.
What do you think of Aaron Eckhart and Nina Dobrev in The Bricklayer? Leave a comment and let us know.
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