An Action Hero: An Isle of Wight Related Movie Review

Some of An Action Hero is filmed in Ventnor (Netflix won't let me take screenshots, sorry about that)

I think it's fair to say that I will watch any TV programme or film which features the Isle of Wight. If they make another terrible sequel to Home Alone and film it in Godshill, I will watch the entire thing, or at least look in the background for familiar thatched cottages.

And so we fired up Netflix with great excitement to watch An Action Hero.

I will not give too much away, but the gist of it is that a big Bollywood star is forced to flee and ends up in Ventnor. The town isn't described as being on the Isle of Wight, but is presented as though it is mainland England's coast.

We are then treated to a series of local scenes including:

• an opening drone shot of Ventnor overlaid in great big red letters saying 'Portsmouth'. Let's not dwell on that for too long, as I always take it personally when someone suggests the Isle of Wight might be in Hampshire (it hasn't been for several decades).
• a meeting on Ventnor Esplanade, including a drink at the Met Italia in the sunshine and a mooch around the walkway where Ventnor Pier used to be. This scene will make you crave sunnier days.
• a shootout at a posh looking house, which I think is overlooking Wootton Creek on that bumpy bit of road leading down to PGL and Woodside Coastal Retreat.
• a police chase through Ventnor, incorporating a trip to the Co-op and a bit of acrobatics on some scaffolding. I enjoyed seeing Ayushmann Khurrana having to skip around roadworks and closures thanks to Ventnor's, er, unusual landscape.
• a race along the Military Road, followed by a bit of fisty cuffs between Jaideep Ahlawat and Ayushmann Khurrana in the National Trust car park by Freshwater Bay Golf Course. This is one of my favourite spots for parking up and eating a sandwich. Next time I am visiting with my brother we will take a moment to recreate the scene over a prawn sandwich. Personally, I would like the driving scene to have lasted for longer. Perhaps they will offer an extended version for Wightophiles with slow motion shots of Compton Down.
• a meeting at the Blacksmiths Arms, or the Blacksmiths as it is now known. I was disappointed that he didn't order the pork belly and the pavlova but I still enjoyed the scene. This is a great pub, by the way, and features in our guide to the Isle of Wight's best pubs with a playground.

It is worth saying that there is a fair amount of geographical confusion in An Action Hero. Ayushmann Khurrana appears to run the 12 miles from Wootton Creek to Ventnor and then drives from the Military Road (described as the A1 for some reason) onto a motorway. He then ends up in the South Downs admiring the Seven Sisters before returning to the Island. Eventually, he ends up in London without catching a ferry. The fixed link campaigners will be salivating at this scene.

There is not a great deal of nuance and hidden depth in An Action Hero. It will not be studied on courses about cinema. There also wasn't a lot of romance, so Mrs Guru kept wandering off or staring at her phone.

However, I enjoyed the punching, shooting, wise-cracking and vrooming around whilst admiring the background and saying "oooh, that's where we dropped an ice cream last summer!".