Review by Jon Donnis
Deep Cover takes a daft idea and somehow makes it work. It shouldn't. A trio of struggling improv actors being recruited by the Met to go undercover in London's criminal underworld sounds like something a writer came up with at 2am as a joke. But instead of playing it loud and broad, the film keeps a straight face, and that's what makes it funny. It doesn't wink at the audience. It leans all the way in.
Bryce Dallas Howard is ideal as Kat, an American comic teaching improv to a handful of aimless hopefuls. She's hit that stage in life where nothing's gone the way she expected. Her visa's nearly up, her friends are all married or wealthy or both, and she's quietly panicking. Then she meets DS Billings, played by Sean Bean with just enough menace to raise eyebrows but not enough to scare her off. He needs actors for a low-level sting. She says yes.
She ropes in two students. Marlon, played by Orlando Bloom, is an actor who's been dropped by his agent and is desperate for any break. Hugh, played by Nick Mohammed, works in IT, is painfully awkward and probably shouldn't be involved in any of this. The three of them end up playing fake gangsters called Bonnie, Roach and The Squire, and things spiral from there. What starts as a dodgy shopfront cigarette bust turns into a full-blown infiltration of a mid-level gang.
Bloom is the best thing in the film. He's funny without trying too hard and manages to keep Marlon just on the right side of believability. Howard carries the emotional weight of the film. Kat's dry, smart, always improvising, not just in the job but in life. Nick Mohammed, erm.. does what he usually does. If you've seen him in anything else, you'll know the performance. It doesn't wreck the film, but it does feel predictable, has he ever played any other type of character?.
There are moments that shouldn't work at all but somehow land. One scene, where the trio unintentionally cons a gang into buying back their own drugs, is pure chaos and oddly satisfying. Later, they're forced to dismember a body, rent bikes with a company credit card, dodge the police and lie their way through an intervention dinner party. Somehow it all tracks.
Paddy Considine is great as Fly, a gang member who sees something in the trio. Ian McShane brings his usual gravel and gravitas as Metcalfe, the bigger boss pulling strings. Sonoya Mizuno is fantastic as Shosh, who's both lethal and oddly helpful. The film's happy to let its cast carry the tone, never over-explaining or stopping for unnecessary exposition.
The runtime is the only real issue. It's just a bit too long for what it is. If it had shaved ten minutes off, it would've been tighter. There's a moment near the end where things begin to sag, and you can feel the plot gears grinding. But it picks back up for a solid final stretch. The ending manages to be both ridiculous and satisfying. The criminals are brought down, not by real police, but by a group of amateur performers finally nailing their biggest scene.
It's a fun, strange little film. Not groundbreaking. Not trying to be. It just works. The concept is silly, but the cast commit to it completely, and that's why it clicks. Bloom stands out, Howard keeps it grounded, and even though you can see where it's heading, it's still a joy watching them get there. It's a solid Saturday night kind of film, best enjoyed with a takeaway and a glass of wine. Nothing life changing, but definitely worth a watch.
8 out of 10 feels generous but about right.
Out Now
Apple TV - https://apple.co/4m0j8LA
Prime Video - https://amzn.to/3UgXTJI
