Deep Cover

A washed out Actor, an Improv Teacher and a quirky Tech guy find themselves working for the police, going undercover to bust two big drug gangs.

I was taken aback by all 3 leads (one unknown that ended up being better than expected), with Orlando Bloom reminding why I find him so charming with his acting. Didn't expect to also see Sean Bean and Ian McShane, much less delivering quality roles in what seems like a low profile film.

All around, a quality script that is quite entertaining and unpredictable due to the creativity of this nonsensical premise. Good dialogue, some action, and plenty of comedic moments. Easy recommendation, as it has too many good things going for it..

It's best not to think too much about the plot. Don't do that, and you'll find the movie quite fun.

Bryce Howard, Orlando Bloom, and Nick Mohammed make for a believable trio; their chemistry works! Sean Bean, of course, is always a pleasure to see on screen. Paddy Considine and Sonoya Mizuno are also very able in their supporting roles.

The plot serves its main purpose of letting all the above actors play off each other. The dialogues are serviceable; the real gem here are the situations that the trio find themselves in. It's all so predictable, but nonetheless at times amusing.

If there's any major critique, it is that I wish the movie would have taken more chances and try to subvert our expectations - including maybe even for Sean Bean?

You have to rate a movie for what it is, and for what it is (a silly good fun romp), this was fantastic. Laugh out loud funny at times with ridiculous yet highly likeable characters.

The plot is as over the top as the characters, who are as over the top as everything else here - and I'm all for it. Personal highlights were the high speed bicycle chase, the grenade scene, and "the nose" (when you know, you'll know).

So, where do films like this fit? Think of those movie nights where you wanted to watch something like Rush Hour, or 21 Jump St, and you have just found your next film.

Manage your expectations, then have a great time with this one.

Deep Cover is a lot better than expected, especially for a streaming original. The central premise of improv actors going undercover makes sense in a weird way and it's got enough laughs interspersed throughout as well as just being really good at the undercover stuff. It's tense, twisty and always moving forward whilst still finding time for some decent character arcs for the main three to make it an even more worthwhile watch.

Bryce Dallas Howard anchors all the chaos and Nick Mohammmed's awkwardness is endearing. Orlando Bloom is easily the best thing about this as his character who loves to take method acting too far consistently gets the biggest laughs and is the most watchable presence by far. Paddy Consadine is a likeable mobster plus screenwriters Ben Ashenden & Alexander Owen also make a fun comedic duo who get away with lampshading.

Tom Kingsley's direction imbues the film with a greater visual texture than something released straight to streaming usually has. It's clearly been shot on location and isn't constantly over exposed which aren't high bars to reach but are greatly appreciated considering how many films struggle to achieve them. There are undoubtedly luls between laughs, counterbalanced by how good they are when they arrive.

A British gangster film coming out with little publicity and going straight to streaming - that's normally a deeply unprepossessing prospect.

But this turns out to be a cracking little film. A daft light-hearted heist movie, 3 likeable leads with real chemistry and an entertaining supporting cast ranging from renowned acting heavyweights to young comedic talent, all doing a fine job.

The plot makes little sense - but who cares, it's just the framework for some silly comedy and the film rushes by with such pace and energy that you never have time to stop and think about how the trio got themselves into such ridiculous situations.

It's not a great film, it's certainly not going to win any critical awards, but it's so much better than most people will expect it to be and succeeds admirably at being good entertainment.