The Born Identity

The Inheritance

by Adam Barney

Reconnecting with an absentee parent later in life brings plenty of challenges and emotional work. This would only be magnified if your missing father happens to be a spy on the run from Interpol and the CIA.

Co-writer and director Neil Burger (The Illusionist, Limitless) wastes no time with the setup in Inheritance. Maya (Phoebe Dynevor from Bridgerton) has been taking care of her sick mother and hasn’t had any contact with her father, Sam (genre treasure Rhys Ifans, The Amazing Spider-Man, Notting Hill) in years. Unexpectedly, Sam shows up at her mother’s funeral and offers to take Maya on a business trip while she figures out life after caring for her mom. He’s sorry for abandoning the family and wants to start making it up to her.

Things go sideways almost immediately. Sam gets a call while they are at lunch and bolts out of the restaurant just before Interpol and local authorities show up looking for him. Maya ducks out of the restaurant only to get a call from her dad that he got away from the authorities, but he’s been kidnapped by someone much worse. He needs Maya to finish the job he was on – pick up a package from a safety deposit box and deliver it to his contact.

Maybe Maya takes after her dad more than she thinks. Now, she must learn on the job as she outwits and outruns all the parties hunting her and the package. Every stranger that approaches seems to have an ulterior motive and she doesn’t know who to trust, including her own dad.

Inheritance is a fast-paced globetrotter that rarely pauses to catch its breath. Shot on an iPhone and without permission in a lot of locations, the film has a grounded and realistic vibe to it. Because of these limitations, there are no big action set pieces. However, there is an impressive motorcycle chase.

Despite the brief 100-minute runtime and frantic pace, Inheritance does not shortchange the relationship drama between Maya and her dad. Their interactions are limited to brief phone calls but she is also doing her own research along the way to try and understand who he is. Both performances are quite good throughout and especially in a moment when they expose some raw nerves when their time is up.

Inheritance excels as a low budget spy thriller that works in some unique family drama. It does not try to reach beyond its limits to put the world at stake or to showcase a bunch of thrilling stunts. Instead, it delivers a smart and enjoyable chase around the globe with small, personal stakes that feel refreshing in a well-worn genre.

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