Inheritance is a new film set for release in theaters on January 24, 2025. The film follows a young woman drawn into an international conspiracy after discovering her father is a spy. Phoebe Dynevor & Rhys Ifans star in the leading roles with a script from Neil Burger & Olen Steinhauer and it is directed by Burger himself.

I knew almost nothing about the film other than the small logline. I initially didn’t even have this on my watchlist for the month. However, it grabbed my attention when I got an early screening for the film. I am so happy I watched it immediately. January has been good to us so far, but this film easily takes the cake. I have already seen some reviews on Letterboxd, and I hope this film gets the attention it deserves.

What was really surprising about the film is how it just throws you right into the situation. Within the first 20 minutes, you understand this character and her motives. The film just takes off from there and never lets go. It’s actually quite impressive what the film is able to do within its smaller runtime that’s something between 90 and 100 minutes. Dynevor is convincing her role as someone who always gets the bad end of the stick. On a personal level, I could relate to how much she tries to believe people are good, which ends up giving her a dynamic story that’s easy to follow.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Dynevor gets more leading roles after this. Rhys Ifans is great, but even on a supporting level, he never overshadows the film’s main star. Ifans was a perfect fit for the role as someone who will manipulate those around him to get what he deserves. You feel things from Dynevor’s perspective, and you want to believe her dad is a good person.

Dynevor’s characterization helps keep the momentum going as you see her travel from country to country evading trouble. There’s a particular car chase that truly blew my mind. It reinvented what an action scene could look like in an espionage thriller. As someone who grew up on spy movies, I haven’t seen something this inventive since The Bourne Ultimatum. The way the camera cuts from all angles is truly impressive. What’s even more impressive is how the editing looks so seamless, when I am sure in reality, it was not easy to stop traffic to film these scenes.

The cinematography may not be for everyone. I noticed it immediately when we get a close up of characters next to each other. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s also quite unique. I wouldn’t have thought to have used this particular style. The film is all the better for it. While I had no problem with it, it works better in the film’s more intense scenes. There’s a sense of feeling like you are right there with these characters. It’s almost like you are someone spying in on these spies. It’s very fun and creative.

While the film has a lot of high points, the film’s script doesn’t always work int the film’s favor. There are some performances that are wooden and sound robotic that could have been easily improved, but I am sure a tight schedule was the cause of it. The ending, while it is deeply thematic, is also deeply unrealistic. The way the film wraps up is satisfying, but it also forgets all of the loose ends. It acts like a sequel is inevitable, when in reality, it won’t ever happen. More problems come up for this character. Just because she gets one solution, all of her problems apparently vanish. A sequel could be a good way to flesh out what happens. Realistically, I would be surprised if it did get a sequel. It works better on its own. Due to that, it would have been far better had the film found a way to either resolve everything or not bring up more problems for the main character.

Overall, Inheritance truly surprised me in nearly every way. It’s style may not be for everyone, but it offers something new and exciting on what has to be a smaller budget. For a January release, I was consistently enthralled in the suspense and with the story. Pheobe Dynevor & Rhys Ifans both give some terrific performances. While the story can be quite unbelievable at times, the film still offers plenty of entertainment value. This is without a doubt one of the most thrilling movies I have seen in quite some time. It’s certainly worth checking out when it comes out this weekend.

VERDICT: 4/5 (Great)