Three improv actors are asked to go undercover by the police in London’s criminal underworld.
Chuck says:
“I wonder how long you can keep this going?”
So says Billings (Sean Bean), a London police officer to three amateur thespians he’s using in an ever-expanding drug investigation in Tom Kingsley’s “Deep Cover.” I kept asking myself that same question regarding the film’s script, a twist-filled concoction from four writers that contains one surprise after another. Any screenplay crediting more than a pair of scribes usually means trouble, yet this proves to be the exception to the rule. To be sure, the script by Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow, Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen does push things towards the ridiculous, yet it follows a sense of logic that never gets too outlandish…at least, in the realm of action movies.
Three sad sacks are at the center of this lunacy, each managing to fill in the gaps the others possess. Hugh (Nick Mohammed) is an IT specialist at a trading firm who just doesn’t fit in. Try as he might, he just doesn’t click with his co-workers, always saying the wrong thing or a beat behind whatever joke is being told. Marlon (Orlando Bloom) is his own worst enemy as well, the aspiring actor taking himself and his craft far too seriously. That he is known as a swashbuckling hero in a series of pizza ads is not something he’s proud of. These two happen to wander into an improv class run by Kat (Bryce Dallas Howard). Like Marlon, she too has seen her share of frustration in the acting world, embarrassed by the fact she’s reduced to teaching in an out-of-the-way club.
However, things take a radical turn for the trio when they are approached by Billings. He’s looking for three actors, thinking they’d be adept at thinking on their feet, to pretend to be buyers of illegal cigarettes at local markets. The pay is good, they have nothing better to do and agree to help him out. But, of course, things go sideways and before you know it, they’re buying heroin from the local drug lord, Fly (Paddy Considine), eventually rubbing elbows with the crime kingpin, Metcalfe (Ian McShane).
Kingsley keeps things humming, not allowing us to think too long about the shenanigans that are unfolding. There’s no shortage of surprises but none are employed for shocks sake; rather, they all evolve organically from the story, a natural progression of events leading to a standard action climax. What does keep things fresh is the seemingly haphazard way things develop. Kit and Hugh are put to the test at every turn, each of them constantly on their toes for whatever comes their way, most of it the result of Marlon’s flair for the dramatic. To be sure, he’s good at improvisation, but his tendency to take things to the extreme, repeatedly puts them in peril.
And while there is little ground broken where action cinema is concerned, it’s the chemistry between the three principals that keeps us hooked. Mohammed’s timidity and Bloom’s grandiosity compliment each other wonderfully, differing comic beats emerging from each that keeps the humor fresh. Howard mediates between the two, her reactions to her co-stars essential to defining their characters while simultaneously providing background on Kat.
The film wisely doesn’t overstay its welcome. It turns out, Kingsley and his crew can keep the schtick going for an entertaining 99 minutes. Their escapades are so engaging, I wouldn’t mind seeing them out in the field once more, as “Deep Cover’s” perfect combination of humor and action delivers far more than expected.
3 Stars
