Spy Review

Source: Wikipedia

*Originally posted at Filmoria* 

Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy are quite simply an undeniable double act in the modern era of comedy. Having set the genre alight with the crude wedding disaster of Bridesmaids, and letting Sandra Bullock in on the act in The Heat, they are two-for-two, and now they have their sights on spoofing 007 and beyond in their latest flick, Spy.

The CIA's top agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law) in an untouchable force as he swiftly goes from one mission to the next with relative ease, aided by basement-dwelling mission collaborator Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy). With Susan acting as the eyes and ears during each and every mission, it is Fine's job to be the muscle, making them the finest pair to get the job done.

Unfortunately, things have to come to a swift end and, when the villainous Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne) compromises all of the agents withing the agency, a new mission is born, one that could see a nuclear bomb released within New York. With all agents in a position where their appearance would be instantly recognised, it calls for an unknown to enter the fray; a time for Susan Cooper to enter the field and show the world she can make a difference...

We've seen spoof movies all-too-often in the past and more than regularly they result in flat, unnecessarily weak and unfunny film experiences best left on the cutting room floor. While Spy isn't quite your Naked Gun, it does have its moments and genuinely laugh-out-loud snippets that make it a worthy entry into the comedy field.

First and foremost, Spy is bolstered by its impressive cast, with Melissa McCarthy leading the way with her trademark swagger and care-free f-bomb planting and domination. Recently, McCarthy has somewhat been burdened with a number of roles that simply leave her typecast into a specific character role (Tammy, Identity Thief), but her re-teaming with Feig brings her back to her best.

Thankfully, it's not just about one of the strongest women in comedy, with Spy featuring a host of brilliantly written and varying characters that perfectly span the spy movie genre and shake things up. Jude Law's suave, smooth-talking agent is your James Bond model who brings the familiarity and Jason Statham's rough around the edges agent is quite simply hilarious, with his over-the-top stories of heroism and gung-ho attitude towards getting the job done.

Then there's Miranda Hart in her first major movie exploit, bringing the British charm and silliness to the plate as McCarthy's fellow office dweller, her geeky exterior proving a decent fit to this jigsaw, albeit often stepping into the annoying category. Allison Janney is superb as always, while Rose Byrne pushes her posh accent and plumps up her hair for a brilliant villain turn that is worthy of a place as a turncoat Bond girl. It's an ensemble that oozes brilliance, even if 50 Cent's surprise appearance does fall a little by the wayside. Watch out for a handsy and very Italian Peter Serafinowicz too..

Part of Spy's charm is its slick scripting, with Feig rarely misfiring with his collection of jokes and one-liners. McCarthy's transformation as the film progresses is bolstered by some brilliant put-downs towards other characters and when her and Statham are collectively on screen the sparks fly and the fun doesn't stop. It's good to see that Feig has a blissful awareness of action as well, with Spy also embracing the adrenaline-fuelled side of the genre he is spoofing, with some brilliantly shot set pieces and plenty of laughs thrown into a street chase scene.

It's a real shame though that Spy is a game of two halves, with the first section of the film really struggling to find its feet early and dragging along at a slow pace, before being given that adrenaline shot and new lease of life heading into a much improved second half. That's not to say that it isn't a hoot; Spy is imaginative, hilarious and star-studded, it just doesn't quite gain the credentials to become a comedy with the licence to fully thrill.

Review: Killer Elite

That's right people, once again Jason Statham is back for yet another action movie, this time along with Robert De Niro and Clive Owen. Check out my review for Killer Elite below.


Based on the controversial book by Ranulph Fiennes, Killer Elite sees us following Danny Bryce (Statham) and hunter (De Niro), experienced mercenaries not to be messed with. When a routine hit on a Mexican leader ends with a child being involved Danny decides it is time to go straight and retires to Australia. 


Unfortunately his settled life is short lived when he receives a package stating that Hunter has been kidnapped and being held in Oman by a sheikh. jetting off to save his lifelong friend, Danny is soon tasked with a mission in order to secure the safe release of his closest partner. The mission, to avenge the death of the sheikh's three sons and kill the SAS men who murdered them, with no evident trace that they have been killed. In addition, the sheikh wants a recorded message of all three men admitting to the murders, a task that will not be easy.


Heading to England, Danny attempts to track down the SAS personnel with help from some close friends but soon attracts the attention of a group named 'The Feather Men', one of those who is Spike (Owen), a retired SAS soldier who 'still believes he is a soldier'. With this mentality he becomes a thorn in the side of Danny and a cat-and-mouse game ensues between the two.


Killer Elite showed promise in its trailer and with the leading talent consisting of three highly regarded actors the formula looked all well and good. Unfortunately the high octane action failed to go beyond a few loud gunshots and explosions, and a rather mediocre fight between Statham and Owen. Plot-wise, being based on real life it worked fairly well but with some unnecessary twists and turns along the way it did at times become a little baffling.


For a film that showed promise Killer Elite was a bitter disappointment and I think it is fair to say that our leads won't be holding this film in such high regard compared to some of their previous efforts in the action thriller bracket.


Film rating: 2 F's out of 5

Cinema Review - Blitz

'It's cop-killer versus killer-cop', a tagline that is straight to the point and the latest Jason Statham film is no doubt this, with a simple plot and some gritty action leading the way.

Statham plays burning-out cop Detective Sergeant Brant, the most un-PC cop around who regularly attracts unwanted press coverage for his station. With his police career hanging on, Brant is handed the case of his life, a psychopathic murderer  is unleashing his fury on police officers and he needs to be stopped. 

With the help of Porter Nash (Paddy Considine), Brant must follow the leads in order to take down the murderer before the police deaths mount up and become a huge problem. 

It soon becomes apparent that the man they are after is Barry Weiss (Aiden Gillen), or as he likes to be known, The Blitz. Weiss' spree soon becomes more and more brutal with some of Brant's close friends/colleagues becoming targets and victims. Can they stop him in time or will they soon find themselves on top of his hit-list?

Statham's return to a purely British film is a welcome one and unlike most of his Hollywood movies, Brant receives some character background, albeit minimal. The downfall of Blitz though is that it concentrates more of its background on the characters that are less cared for and are merely a distraction from what is a simple but gripping storyline. 

Despite being an odd pairing, Statham and Considine do a solid job as the main police partners and Gillen's turn as psychotic Weiss is both menacing and convincing. The support from names such as the multi-talented David Morrissey and Zawe Ashton are decent but it is the visceral side that may put off some viewers. 

With each murder taking place the ante is upped and there are no limits. A simple gun shot to an officer is the first kill whilst further on we are subjected to a cringe-inducing curb stomp, a scene where not a lot is left to the imagination.

Blitz will satisfy Statham fans without a doubt; a return to his roots in Britain is always a welcome turn, but it is only a good film and nothing more unfortunately. With a solid storyline the film flows reasonably but the development of certain characters leaves the main action to the wayside a little too often and regularly slows the pace of the film. A return to Hollywood action will surely be next for Statham.

Film rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The lowdown: Statham once again shows his credentials as a lead man and Considine lends a helping hand in providing a decent cop thriller, shame about several distractions from what is a good main storyline