Review of I Spy (2002) by Andy M — 24 Feb 2009

Hollywood has been running out of ideas for years now, and has found itself trawling the ever popular back-catalogue of old US TV shows. We have seen Mission Impossible made into classy intrigue (first film) and sloppy action (MI2), Charlies Angels made into a pile of...well....pants, relying on bums and cleavage to sell, and the lesser known Wild Wild West series made into an all out FX bonanza which was immense fun, and widely mis-understood by critics. Now, we have I-Spy, based upon the old TV show which hardly anyone from the UK remembers.

The old show was a tounge in cheek spy caper, in the vein of Mission Impossible, but with Bill Cosby and jokes (2 things rarely seen together...unless you are afflicted with the strange disease that makes people think the Cosby Show is amusing!) For the update, the emphasis is on fun and action, and the casting is fitting to the show. You have Owen Wilson as the experienced, yet somewhat inept, spy, and Eddie Murphy as the non-spy used to provide a cover story so that the agency can infiltrate a major villain's residence to find the location of a stolen super-stealth-jet known as the Switchblade.

The casting of the pair is impeccable, with Wilson playing the same role he always plays (laid back, cool as a cucumber, but a bit...well...not all there). In fact it is very reminiscent of his Zoolander role, with the same rouguish charm. Murphy, as the world champ boxer with the attitude to match, is loving every minute of his role, and really pulls off a rare feat in actually being funny in a film (something he has failed to do recently, with the notable exception of Bowfinger). The conflict of personalities is what works so well here, much like the pairing of Chan and Tucker in Rush Hour, or indeed Wilson and Chan in Shanghai Noon. When the two of them are together on screen, the giggles start up and don't stop.

The action is handled brilliantly, with a degree of fun thrown in to keep the smile muscles working, and the stunts and effects cater well to the films needs. The jet, the Switchblade, is a sleek design, and the cloaking effect is used well...heck...I would say that as I am a guy, and this film is finely tuned for guys.

There are a few downsides to the film. The plot is a bit predictable, well, actually it is very predictable, yet still manages to lose itself a bit towards the end. The end of the film seems a bit rushed, and the lead up to it doesn't actually need any spy-capers to get there, with the whole thing working more by coincidence than investigation. Plus, despite the fantastic performances of Murphy and Wilson, the rest of the cast seem a bit, shall we say, wooden in their parts.

But these minor quibbles don't detract from what the intention of this film is, that being to provide a fun few laughs, and possibly set up a franchise for Wilson and Murphy. This it does well, and I look forward to any potential future installments in the series. Just, please, lets have a bit of plot next time!