Director: Paul Feig
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Miranda Hart, Allison Janney, Bobby Cannavale
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 120 minutes
Synopsis: After the identity of every CIA agent is leaked, it is up to deskbound Susan Cooper (McCarthy) to find the location of a nuclear device.
At this point in time there must be as many spy spoofs and comedies as there are straight-up spy films. So, do we actually need yet another, this time from the comedic duo of Feig and McCarthy, who have already delivered hits in Bridesmaids and The Heat? Possibly not, but when the material is this damn hilarious and surprisingly important then Spy is welcome to frequent as many screens as possible.
The plot is pretty particular of any spy film, with that added humorous slant of a fish-out-of-water character bumbling their way through big set-pieces but this isn’t all Spy has to offer. Susan Cooper (McCarthy) is not some overweight joke that the trailers would have you believe. They may have focused on the slapstick portion of McCarthy’s role but as it turns out she’s a highly skilled agent both physically and mentally. It’s just her confidence that needs a boost. This provides many laugh out loud sequences in which she takes out enemies, or must pander to Law’s super-spy ego. It’s very rewarding to watch such a role, and to be shocked and surprised by her moves.
And what moves they are. Cooper could put Bond to shame, especially when Feig makes sure to flavour the film with painful violence. It says a lot about the watered down current state of action movies (recent efforts Mad Max: Fury Road and John Wick aside) that it takes a supposed madcap comedy to get an audience nervously squealing with repulsed delight. The violence works as it is shocking in terms of the genre, but probably quite realistic in terms of real life. It’s what happens when a film meets reality, so McCarthy’s fight scenes often end in a henchman landing on their neck with an audible crack. Feig also shows that he’s dedicated to the action portions of the film, as well as the comedy, giving us some of the best fights, chases and shootouts of the last few years.
Not only does McCarthy shine as an action hero, but it’s also great to see a range of supporting roles that keep the laughs coming. Statham is a particular delight, proving himself to be an immense champion of the comedy genre. He is an egotistical/slapstick genius, whose pride aids every scene he is in. His constant boasts of being on fire and reattaching his own arm are hysterical. In many ways he is repeating his character from Fast and Furious 7, as he just appears throughout the film. Only this time, he’s the butt of the joke. Law is suitably smug, Byrne is both sexy and dangerous, while Hart fills out the role of the best friend but injects her own brand of humour.
Spy is one of the most important films of the year, as it gives us some much needed girl power while also giving us an action hero where her size is not the joke. It is also with some irony that we have he likes of McCarthy and Feig giving us hardcore R rated violence in a time when the Stallone’s and Schwarzenegger’s are churning out PG-13 rehashes. It can be argued that the men are poorly treated, as each of them is pretty much a one joke character, with Statham’s buffoonery and Serafinowicz’s sexually overcharged Italian. But in many ways this is all part of the joke itself, with a particularly male genre giving men the treatment women have had for years.
Although one or two of the jokes go on for too long – which seems to be the trend of every recent comedy – at least Spy is constantly funny, exciting, memorable and very impressive indeed.
Spy is released in cinemas this Friday 5th June.
