Review of Spy Hard (1996) by Alistair W — 10 Jul 2009
A contradicting film that tries too hard to be funny.
A spoof film that parodies many films, and it's because of this that there's no point in trying to detail the plot, since 'Spy Hard' spoofs so many films, including 'Jurassic Park', 'Home Alone', 'Speed', 'Pulp Fiction', 'Rambo', 'Terminator 2' and, of course, spy films, you just can't focus, and therefore work out a plot. There were so many romantic leads for Dick Steele (Leslie Nielsen) you have no idea who the main female character is.
Only a few members of cast can actually be believable in this film, with Leslie Nielsen being the best actor, the problem however is that he plays pretty much the same character in every film, and that's a bombshell for this film, whilst he was pure gold in 'Police Squad!', 'The Naked Gun', 'Airplane!' and 'Scary Movie 3', he's just boring in this film.
The great talent of Charles Durning, however, is greatly underused.
Every other major character is really, and I really mean it, poor, particularly Marcia Gay Harden and Nicollette Sheridan. Andy Griffith tried to pull off a great villain, but ended up being absolutely pathetic. Cameos from certain celebrities, including wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and blind music genius Ray Charles, certainly don't help.
Despite the poor jokes the film is quite entertaining, at some points even funny. A hit-and-miss film really, only for true Leslie Nielsen fans.
This review of Spy Hard (1996) was written by Alistair W on 10 Jul 2009.
Spy Hard has generally received mixed reviews.
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