Michael Flatley's new self-funded spy film slammed by critics and dubbed a '007 rip-off'

2 September 2022, 07:15

BLACKBIRD starring Michael Flatley OFFICIAL TRAILER 2022

By EJ Ward

Riverdance star Michael Flatley's new spy film has been slammed by critics who have branded it a James Bond rip-off.

Michael Flatley has urged young people to "go for it" as he spoke about his motivation for making his debut feature film, saying people had told him it was "impossible".

The dancer and choreographer, 64, has written, directed and also stars in the spy thriller Blackbird, in which he plays former MI6 operative Victor Blackley who is drawn back into a world of espionage he left behind.

Flatley, 64, said to be worth £200 million, stars in the thriller that he wrote, directed, produced and financed. He even shot some of it at his mansion in Castlehyde, County Cork.

But that won him no favours in Ireland, where Alan Corr of national broadcaster RTE said: "The snort-out-loud quotient is high."

The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw likened the acting to the "unsexy bits of a mid-80s porn film". The Telegraph dubbed it an "awful 007 rip-off", with its critic Ed Power calling it "unintentionally hilarious".

The film screened at the Monaco Streaming Film Festival last year, where Flatley picked up the best actor award.

He said that he had been proud to be able to give a host of talent their first roles in the film, adding: "Young people are remarkably talented, and I love the young minds.

"And I'll tell you what, the big motivation for me making Blackbird is all the people that said 'Impossible. You can't do it. You can't be an actor - you're a dancer'. I mean, I've heard it till I'm blue in the face and you just have to go for it.

"And there's so many people out there that have a dream to do something or be somebody or do something great, and they're paralysed by fear. 'What's everybody gonna think? What are other people gonna say?'

"You can't let that stop you, stand up, throw your best shot and let the chips fall where they may."

Flatley added: "Especially the young people, go for it. Don't listen to other people. You have to just go for it. I promise you, you won't be disappointed."