Spy

Opening with a Bond-style combat sequence on the Bulgarian coast and a dapper Jude Law, Spy starts in a bold, hilarious fashion, and keeps that mood throughout in a highly successful attempt to poke fun at the well-known espionage genre.

Bradley Fine (Jude Law) is a skilful, handsome secret agent on a mission to locate a nuclear weapon. Even though he is in the field, Bradley mostly owes his career to his partner, Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) – the CIA analyst who spends her days behind an agency desk, whispering into his earpiece and navigating him through missions. However, this convenient collaboration is brought to an end when Bradley is killed by Rayna Boyanov (the Bulgarian arms dealer brilliantly played by Rose Byrne). As the identities of the agency’s top operatives have been compromised, Susan volunteers to go undercover and avenge her partner’s death.

Melissa McCarthy is spot on as a character who goes against all odds in the male-dominated world of high-profile espionage. She is the antipode to the stylish, British spy who uses the shiny gadgets, drives the newest cars, and sleeps with the most gorgeous women while simultaneously saving the world. In the case of Spy, this typical agent is hilariously played by Jason Statham, who manages to steal every scene he’s in with his over-the-top, overly confident agent, Richard Ford. It’s very refreshing to see Statham back in a comedic role and making fun of the very same personage that he is most well-known for – the tough, sexy meathead with impeccable fighting skills. In Spy, this is the type of man that gets in the way of the action and although he “means well”, as McCarthy’s character points out, he mostly compromises her mission and gets into trouble. Peter Serafinowicz and Miranda Hart also have turns in the film as McCarthy’s flirty Italian associate, and her colleague, Nancy, respectively.

Spy is everything that so many films in previous years have tried to be – a hilarious spin on spy flicks that manages to mix comedy and action in the most entertaining way. Quite frankly, it is so outrageously funny that it’s the must-see comedy of the year, with McCarthy at her very best. She shows how unapologetically funny women can be, and owns it as a spy at the same time.

Lyubomira Kirilova

Spy is released nationwide on 5^th June 2015.

Watch the trailer for Spy here: