Julian Barratt plays Richard Thorncroft, a fictional, washed-up actor with thinning hair, a growing gut, and shrinking career options. The one bright star in his career was playing the 80's TV character Mindhorn, a detective with a robotic eye that can tell truth from lies. (As ludicrous as that sounds, it's really no more ridiculous than “Manimal” or any of the “Bionic” shows.)
Thorncroft senses a chance to revive his career when he gets a call from the police department at his old stomping grounds, the Isle of Man. A murderer is on the loose, and in taunting messages to the police, he has indicated a willingness to turn himself in, but only to detective Mindhorn. The killer seems to think that Mindhorn is a real cop, so the real-real cops ask Thorncroft to come to the Isle and play his old role again, to help them get their man.
Simultaneously smart and supremely silly, “Mindhorn” revels in the absurd. The film is an excellent specimen of good, British comedy, with all that implies. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you enjoy “Monty Python” and the British “The Office,” there's a good chance you will like this.
3.5 stars out of 5
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