How much pleasure you take in watching a one-woman army blow up and hack fascists to pieces will determine your initial enthusiasm for “The Last Temptation of Becky,” the third installment in a gleeful revenge fantasy.
In the original, “Becky,” and its better sequel, “The Wrath of Becky,” the titular avenger (Lulu Wilson, at least fun to watch) proves herself to be the Kevin McCallister of alt-right men, dispatching them with delight for their roles in the death of her parents when she was just 13. She’s in the C.I.A. now.
The prized key that, in the first film, brought neo-Nazis to her doorstep turns out to have historical significance, and off to Poland she goes. She takes up residence at the site of Hitler’s former Eastern Front headquarters during World War II. The setup has shades of Melissa McCarthy’s “Spy,” as Becky goes on her deadly tear with new toys, a new name and new Nazi wordplay (“Is that Reich?”).
Directed by Jenn Wexler, “The Last Temptation of Becky” never quite reconciles its “Scooby Doo” sensibility with the ugliness of its subject matter, and the kills feel like empty spectacles. There’s more satisfaction from killing Nazis in a video game. Neil Patrick Harris, committed to his role as a menacing innkeeper and outright fascist, underscores the trilogy’s tendency to mistake an actor’s mere presence for the joke (we have come a long way from Kevin James as a Nazi, at least).
Becky, in the end, remains less a person than a projection. The film’s most developed character is the viewer’s own political ideology.
The Last Temptation of Becky
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 29 minutes. In theaters.
