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Agent Cody Banks-DVD

Review By: T. Sweezy
THE CANDY STORE, Inc.
(t.o.sweet@tcats.com)

Whew, it took me "literally" about a year to see this movie... I missed it in the box office, missed it on pay-per-view, then I finally got the DVD, and was soooo "lax" in viewing it... I guess I just had to be in the "right" mood... I know, I know "WHATEVER" (right...).

Anyway, I'm sorry I took so long to view this movie, because I had a GREAT time watching it. It was cool to see how a "junior agent" gets developed, sort of like a "pre-Bond" (James Bond, that is...), but definitely NOT a James Bond, Jr.

THE MOVIE:
Agent Cody Banks is about this kid from Seattle, named "Cody Banks", duh... (Frankie Munoz of Malcolm In the Middle, Big Fat Liat, My Dog Skip), who has been chosen to attend a special Junior-CIA-In-Training camp when he is 13 years old. Fast forward 2-years, now he's 15, and he's called upon to perform a service for his country. HIS MISSION: To Get Close To A Girl (in order to gain information about her father).

No problem, right... as you will see in the opening scene, Cody is smart, agile, can think under pressure, & remain cool in MOST situations... I say "most", because although he appears to be the perfect "junior agent", his one flaw... GIRLS, he can't talk to girls (& comes off like a "dork"... no, no a "spaz"... no, better yet a "freak", yeah that's it a "freak"). Hmmph... pre-Bond indeed.

Natalie (Hilary Duff of Lizzie McGuire) is his mission, and she looks good in this movie, although there's this one scene, where she "a little" over-the-top. Toward the end of the movie, while inside the villian's lair, well... I'm not going to give you the scene or ruin the movie, but the scene is sooooo "HOLLYWOOD" (you'll know it when you see it, as her hair all of the sudden catches a full breeze...), it just doesn't seem to fit.

Getting back to the movie, Natalie gets kidnapped, Cody's "secret agent" cover gets blown, therefore he's off the case and out of the CIA. Now what's a 15-year-old kid to do... it's HERO time, so watch out!!!

The "Highlight Scene" of the Movie: The Payback Punch (as I call it...) (the scene toward the end of the movie, where Cody retaliates to return the same "taste-of-medicine" as given to him earlier in the movie... good stuff, it'll make you say "Hell Yeah!" or "Damn Right!".)

Anyway, this movie employs the veteran acting skills of Keith David (Requiem for a Dream, Barbershop, Head of State, Hollywood Homicide...), as the CIA-Head of Operations Manager; Angie Harmon (Law & Order, Baywatch, & for all you sports fans... the wife of Jason Sehorn former NY GIANTS cornerback), as Cody's handler; Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns), as the villian's henchman; & Ian McShane, (Sexy Beast, Babylon5: The River of Souls) as the villian. Along with many other supporting actors, this cast did a great job carrying the vibe, emotion, & fun of ...