Recently, among connoisseurs of good cinema, a special caste of people has appeared - fans of Israeli TV series. I must say that their sympathies can be understood. Israeli filmmakers do not get tired of delighting with quality films and TV series.
When, it would seem, the success of “Fauda” can no longer surpass anything, “Scout” comes out (aka “Spy”, aka The Spy).
The film is dedicated to the fate of perhaps the most famous Israeli intelligence officer Eli Cohen and shot with great confidence. Derogations and some liberties of the script in this case are artistically justified. After all, the series is not documentary, but still amazes how carefully the authors of the series approached the material.
I have never been a fan of Sacha Baron Cohen, but it is worth admitting that the role he played in The Scout is the best in his acting career. Watching him as Eli Cohen is hard to imagine that the same actor played Borat, Bruno and Nobby Butcher from The Brothers of Grimsby. So Sasha subtly reincarnated into his character and literally got along with him.
The charm of Sacha Baron Cohen in this role is one of the keys to understanding how Eli Cohen achieved success in his activities, becoming “his” for the political and military elite of Syria in the early 60s of the XX century. It was through Cohen’s activities that Israel was able to quickly occupy the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. About the life of Eli Cohen enough written, information can easily be found on the Internet.
Did you also notice that the main character and actor is his namesake? Maybe that’s the secret to the movie’s success?
Interestingly, the Israeli government used The Spy as part of a campaign to return the remains of Eli Cohen, executed in 1965 in Damascus, to Israel. This demonstrates how the film is treated in the Promised Land. By the way, Sacha Baron Cohen also acted as one of the producers of the series.
“Scout” is one of the best modern spy series. I like such a movie based on real events more than the adventures of "Agent 007".
I highly recommend it.
Netflix is a streaming service that has long been a quality guarantor. If the guys from this huge corporation take on any project, then it is almost 99.9% likely to become a hit, or at least a quality product. And they almost never make mistakes. If you buy TV series for broadcast - it is only recognized and well filmed (Russian ' Major' and ' Epidemic' direct confirmation of that), if you remove yourself - then on conscience, and in any genre: comics ' Daredevil', fantasy ' Witcher', crime ' Drug', vintage detective 'Babylon Berlin' - examples of a bunch. And now they have added a spy biopic about the legendary Israeli intelligence officer, shot by the author ' Prisoners of War' (ancestor of the American 'Homeland') with the main Hollywood comedian, unexpectedly put the knight of a sad image - of course, we are talking about 'Spy' (The spy, 2019).
First of all, this mini-series, and even more likely the film (very decently shot, at the level of a full meter) still gravitates not to a spy thriller, but to a biographical drama. This is a portrait of Israel’s national hero, an illegal intelligence officer from the Mossad who laid his whole life on the altar of state interests. The film tells about how Eli Cohen became a scout (although quite a few bright episodes are either missed or outlined only in strokes, mentioning in passing), but for the most part focuses on the gentle relationship of the hero with his wife. On the constant homesickness, on joint traditions (like joint tea parties with a butter sandwich), on the hardships of a woman raising children on her own. They manage to show the beautiful life of Cohen, who comes home by train, having only time to conceive another child, then return to the shoes of a successful businessman with influential friends. Watching the transformation of a humble accountant turned Syrian macho is quite fascinating - thanks to Sacha Baron Cohen, who has long waited for such a vivid image. Like his wife Hadar Ratson Rotem, who played him, Rotem is a natural keeper of the hearth and a faithful wife, through joint scenes with whom the protagonist is revealed as best as possible.
And this series is a portrait of an era. Yes, the 60s of the last century is the era of the Cold War, but here the story of an equally interesting war unfolds & #39; hot' - albeit through the eyes of indirect participants in the person of politicians, diplomats, businessmen and intelligence agents. Very interesting depicts the entourage of the Middle East of that era, the attitude of the inhabitants of the warring countries to each other is revealed in detail. Everything from cars to military uniforms corresponds to the era. The political intrigues of Al Hafez (a good hit by Walid Zweiter), endless coups, joint efforts of the Soviet and Syrian special services to capture the main character, secular parties with orgies and drugs against the background of the very war, which is always somewhere nearby. For 'ura' patriotism is answered by a friend on ' Americans' Noah Emmerich, who exchanged the FBI for the Mossad (the curator of the main character), for the general atmosphere of paranoia and spymania - the vile chief of state security Hafez (a vivid image of Alexander Siddig).
Collectively, all this is a high-quality canvas, which turned out to be a decent portrait of the era and personality, but still somewhat creepy - after all, during his short intelligence career, Cohen could plug any James Bond by the belt. Of course, deepening into the feelings of the hero is good, but the original material was cooler than any part of Bond, the special value of which is the real basis. Not everyone got it, but overall the movie was good.
8 out of 10
Fans of spy movies will not be disappointed to watch this movie based on real events. There is everything for this genre - political intrigue and exciting, keeping in suspense the actions of the main character. I highly recommend it!
Beautiful shooting, good game, toothless plot without highlight
The first thing I want to mention is the actors. Each image is charismatic and smoothly fits the role. I also want to mention the work of the operators - excellent bright shooting.
Unfortunately, the impression spoils absolutely toothless plot. Not a single hitch or a hitch. The series shows all the stamps of spy films of the 20th century - intensive preparation, a bunch of disguised equipment, incredible luck. It's neither good nor bad. Such a genre. But, unfortunately, you wonder: what did I see? Total zero.
We are used to the idea that the plot of work in spy theme should be a game for the brain. There should be tricky moves with double or triple bottoms, games, deceptions, hypocrisy and so on. Unfortunately, there is nothing in this series. The plot is a straight stick without a single hitch. The hero had to make friends - he licks himself, it is necessary to show his wealth - he buys a bottle of expensive wine. Boring to the void.
The series also presents all the typical techniques of psychological pressure - a poor remaining one wife with a child, the heroic feat of her husband, responsible and with full dedication work at home, and so on.
It is no secret that in our time, many viewers accuse filmmakers of the abundance of self-repeats and the secondary nature of their works. Filmmakers, in turn, complain that most of the fresh ideas have already been used and viewers themselves want to see only the continuation of their favorite films. Thus, focusing on continuations and remakes of successful paintings. At the same time, just look back or drip into history, so you can find a lot of history of a considerable number of people who literally ask to be heard. One of these stories is voiced in his work by the eminent Israeli director Gideon Raf.
This series created by Gideon Raf tells the story of one of the most famous and respected Israeli spies Eli Cohen, whom the Israelis consider a national hero. Having come to Syria under cover as a wealthy businessman Kamil Amin Taabet, he quickly gained the confidence of the highest representatives of the country’s authorities and for more than five years of his work presented his country with a huge amount of really important and crucial information for the fate of his country.
One of the main advantages of this mini-series is a great script, in which I loved after “Tyran” Gideon Raf literally surpassed himself. Created on the screen not another biographical work, but a very deep and most accurate excursion into the life of Eli Cohen, and in a rather difficult for the Israeli state time period between 1960 and 1965. At the same time, only winning the fact that the project took place as a 6-episode mini-series, and not a full-length film as originally planned. Since having received much more screen time, Raf got the opportunity absolutely slowly, but at the same time without delay and as dynamically as possible to tell about the main events that occurred in this five-year period.
Moreover, this mini-series is captivating by the way Gideon Raf managed to tell about these events as accurately, reliably and biographically as possible, while simultaneously presenting all these events and history in a dynamic cinematic language. This keeps the viewer in a state of continuous interest and sincere desire to know what will happen in the next episode for almost 6 hours of screen time. On top of that, firing a perfect shot at a slightly alternative view of the standoff between Syria and Israel, which is now (in light of the fighting in Syria) even more relevant.
Even in “Homeland”, “Prisoners of War”, “Divers’ Resort on the Red Sea” and especially “Tyran”, Gideon Raf has demonstrated himself as a truly talented director who manages to perfectly combine in his works as elements of an action thriller without necessarily binding to the attraction spectacle and a really strong human drama. Moreover, very decently disposing of the eastern atmosphere and color on the screen. In this mini-series Raf brought all this to the absolute and gave a really strong and perhaps one of the best of his creative products, which willingly keeps in a state of continuous tension and irresistible interest with a sincere desire to know what will happen next. So much so that this mini-series is literally viewed in one fell swoop and after the end of the viewing even want something close to that for “continuing the banquet”.
I have always considered Sasha Baron Cohen a very talented dramatic actor who, in my opinion, only “merges” his talent in provocative, stupid and vulgar roles. This mini-series Gideon Rafa allowed me to see this once again. Without any exaggeration, Cohen played perhaps the best role in his career, which simply amazes with his incredible performance and complete immersion in his image on the screen. So much so that Cohen does not just play his hero, but walks, talks, lives and is just his hero on the screen. This is probably what makes the most impression when watching. Hadar Rotson Rotham also played a great role, which managed to create such a vivid image of a loving and supportive wife that it is her heroine that enhances both the on-screen drama and the internal conflict of Eli Cohen between duty to the country and the desire to be with his family. Separately, I would like to note Noah Emmerich, who got a very complex and deep image. However, Emmerich was able to perfectly reveal his character on the screen. Similarly, demonstrating the character’s internal conflict between duty to the country and the desire to return the operative to the family alive and unharmed.
10 out of 10
The Spy is by far one of the best cinematic works of the year and one I have ever seen. A very strong symbiosis of a dynamic action thriller and a powerful biographical drama, which allows the viewer to observe the screen events, how much to feel at the epicenter of these events and their direct participant. I have not experienced such a sincere pleasure and indescribable emotional impact from what I saw in a long time. I would gladly advise you to experience all of the above while watching this magnificent six-hour (almost) work.
In the series, very weak directing, Gideon Raff clearly tried to do everything according to the patterns, and a step to the right and left for him as a religious taboo, the action scenes are frankly decadent and perceived as comedic - it is enough to indicate an episode in which the hero runs away from four armed to the teeth Syrian soldiers who literally step on his heels, but can not get almost at close range and do not notice when he breaks away from them. Every time you think that this scene is not bad, the director either clutches it (the scene with the newspapers at the end is just a farce) or squeezes. In the drama Raff does not seem to know how, almost all dramatic episodes are completely overwhelmed. The tension during the arrest, for example, the director creates by putting an armed soldier on every step of a long ladder - it looks frankly ridiculous.
Eli Cohen is no different from Kamel Taabet, although they seem to be different characters and a hero, an ordinary modest Israeli is reincarnated as a rich Arab playboy. But no, they differ only in mustache and both Baron-Cohen plays so ineptly that he gnashes his teeth and thinks - where did all your talent go? All attempts to show Cohen's mental suffering are pathetic to the point of indiscriminate - how he suffers so that his wife does not change, how he allegedly cannot remember whether he is Cohen or Taabet. I think the problem is that SBC is just a miscast - he does not fit into this role.
Eli Cohen is shown to be completely unprofessional. I don’t know what he was taught in Israeli intelligence school — apparently, how to panic when you’re offered to fuck, how to start talking about football during the transmission of top-secret data, and also how to elegantly swallow your tongue in a situation where you just need to pat your interlocutor on the hand and say “Of course I’m going to marry you, silly” or “No, I didn’t know that your uncle would be arrested right at my party”, and generally – how to behave in the most suspicious way in any situation. He's shooting like a child. He almost straight, with a stupid grin on his face, asks everyone questions about secret affairs, blatantly rummages through secret documents (of course, the necessary office will be opened), passes the guards behind his back like a shadow, behaves like a wooden moron in tense scenes and generally portrays Agent English.
The script is woven with stamps and cliches, the dialogue is plywood and predictable, and if it were not based on real events, I would not believe a word. However, I suspect that many moments are invented for the sake of allegedly dramatic and are the result of the work of the same Gideon Raff (yes, he is also a screenwriter). A superficial check of the info from the series shows that straightened and distorted moments are enough. Quite a good and original story of a real spy, the creators of the series managed to present as a stamped craft.
Nearly all actors play come-and-go, except Noah Emmerich. Everyone speaks English with a terrible accent, which is incredibly infuriating, because it is absolutely unnecessary. The line with his wife is boring and superfluous, especially when the director tries to serve it on the contrast - there is such a facepalm that at least saints can be carried out. A woman is eating a sandwich (in Israel). And here is our spy eating a sandwich (in Syria). They sit so that the editor can demonstrate his remarkable talent for gluing different scenes, and then Cohen (fortunately, that is the name of both the actor and the character) begins to smile vilely and the scene, and so lacking stars from the sky, becomes simply indecent.
Overall, the series is very mediocre. Look, of course, you can — well, if you have an extra six hours of life and do something more productive does not work. The only thing I liked was the work of costumers and designers, it was interesting and entertaining to see what Israel and Syria looked like in the sixties.
What trigger is triggered by the name “Cohen”? Some will remember the unique duet of brothers-directors who gave the world of cinema a lot of masterpieces; others will remember the famous gangster of the City of Angels named Mickey. The third, and perhaps the most popular option on this list is Sasha, who has already gone down in history for the role of Borat. Involuntarily, the image of a Kazakhstani journalist is visualized in your head, which makes the mini-series “Spy” from the very first minutes shake your whole idea of the Baron.
Believe me, you've never seen him like this! Not even Chuck Norris could have done so much damage to the comedy image. Yes, against the background of “The Spy”, all attempts by Daniel Radcliffe to wash off the shadow of the wizard look unconvincing (this does not mean that I do not recognize his talent; but I could not help inserting a comparison for a red word).
You don't know Cohen right away, to be honest. And throughout the six episodes, it never ceases to surprise. He plays and plays great, as does the rest of the cast of the series, which has no stars of the first magnitude. Each hero is given attention, given his time, given space for acting maneuvers. And that's great.
The series is based on real events - and I strongly advise you not to touch the story before watching it. First, enjoy six episodes, and then add the picture with details from the Internet.
“Spy” is, sorry for the oil, a strong work of the spy type, in which the action in the frame keeps in suspense so that you are afraid to sigh with the thought that it can reveal the main character. At the same time, the 70s are being demonstrated, which means that there are no lasers that hack laptops and grenade pens. There are old school, Morse code, non-trivial ways of transmitting correspondence and much more, which even a little brings the viewer closer to what is happening. Hiding on a curtain is a much more understandable action than flying outside the plane (although I love this Cruz scene).
If you like this genre of art or want to be surprised by the transformation of Cohen, then I definitely recommend this series. This is a really decent TV product, for the quality of which the creators want to praise.
“The Spy,” a new miniseries from Netflix, places Sacha Baron Cohen in an unfamiliar environment – and it’s not about a confusing plot. The comedian was deprived of humor and placed in the framework of the script. A man prone to improvisation (which is worth one “Borat”!), broke his role: the plot of “Spy” tells about an undercover agent in the years preceding Israel’s war with Syria in the 60s. Of course, any spy should have the gift of reincarnation, and Cohen shows this perfectly in the series. Nevertheless, the role gives too little opportunity for the actor to open up, because the main emphasis is on internal drama, depriving the whole concept of sharpness.
Sacha Baron Cohen plays the real-life Mossad agent Eli Cohen. He was recruited to infiltrate Syria and uncover the country’s military plans. Naturally, the charismatic Ali at some point begins to get confused, to distance himself from his wife. Pretty soon he moves up the career ladder among the Syrian security forces, sacrificing his proud Jewish past.
"Spy" tries to show the complexity of the scout's work in a real light. The problem with this approach is that spying isn’t really that interesting. It's not "Bourne" or "Mission Impossible." There is no action and, to be honest, no dramatic tension. Most of Ely’s activities include observation, Morse code reports, and communication with Syrian government officials. Among this there are curious moments (for example, an interesting reception with trees in front of bunkers - to give a detailed description of such a resourceful military trick would be sacrilege), but in general everything is very banal.
A fascinating but inconclusive spectacle tries to focus on Ali's personal problems. The man lived a double life as a husband and father in Israel, and as a wealthy businessman in Syria who managed to make his way to an adviser to the defense minister. However, moving this four-year period into a six-episode series leaves much to be desired. Firstly, if you wanted to, Spy could be reduced to 4 episodes, because there are not many important events between the first episode (a well-founded plot where Cohen is recruited to the Mossad) and the finale. Eli Cohen communicates with Syrians, his wife raises children without him, Cohen's assistant worries about his partner and constantly checks on Eli's wife and so most of the time for four years from 1961 to 1965.
If you don’t know anything about Eli Cohen, you might wonder: what’s the point of filming this particular story? Until you understand what this man has achieved in terms of ensuring the security of his country, it is difficult to say how important his actions are. “Spy”, alas, can not convey this feeling to an outside viewer. There are very few signs in the Spy universe that war is about to brew, and it’s not even clear how Eli is helping Israel until it’s time to post-script the series as text on a black background. The epilogue and Sacha Baron Cohen's unconventional dramatic play provide "The Spy" with structure and focus, and while not featuring spoilers, it's hard to say exactly how that doesn't save the miniseries from monotony.
Recently, NETFLIX has become more likely to shoot TV series and movies that are based on real events. I’m not surprised because they are doing well. At the same time, such projects provide an opportunity to get acquainted with the history of other countries and other people that have received little or no coverage in Russia. So today we are waiting for a fascinating, but at the same time sad story about the Israeli intelligence officer Eli Cohen, who for several years did fantastic things for his country.
Naturally, I will not tell you the whole story in detail here, but I will try to briefly introduce you to the course of things. During the conflict between Israel and Syria in the '60s, the Israeli special service recruited Eli Cohen, a store accountant who previously coordinated underground Jews in Egypt. Eli undergoes express training of a secret agent ' Mossad' to infiltrate Syria to further transmit valuable information that played an important role in the six-day war.
Cohen got used to his role as an agent to the point that he was a candidate for the presidency of Syria, but eventually became deputy minister for military affairs. During his time in Syria, he was able to relay more than a hundred messages and photos about secret projects and strategies. This is only a concise retelling of the whole story, so I highly recommend reading the full article if you are interested. Now let’s move on to the series.
Do you know who played a major role in such a dramatic series? You won't believe Sacha Baron Cohen. Yeah, Bruno, Borat and the Dictator. Initially, it was little understood how a man of one role could play a dramatic historical hero. But the creators are no fools and knew that Sasha is very plastic and perfectly played such images as fashionable ' blue' critic, Middle Eastern dictator and Kazakh journalist. Therefore, from the first minutes of the series, it becomes clear that Baron is perfectly coping with his role and thanks to him, throughout the six episodes we can see how Eli Cohen changes - from a modest and downtrodden accountant to an influential spy-millionaire.
Of course, for such a story, six series is not enough. Screenwriter Gideon Raf had to cut the biography of the agent. But Rafa did not cover the important events that played a huge role in the outcome of the war, allocating only a few minutes. In the atmosphere ' The Spy' turned out gloomy and tense. The scenery with music corresponds to the spirit of the time. And interestingly made color scheme depending on the country in which Eli is at any time. Well, watching the performance of absolutely all actors is a pleasure, especially the wife of Nadia Cohen.
How it all ended, I certainly will not write. Well, I recommend watching the series, if only to superficially familiarize yourself with the history and see how a world-class comedian turns into a skilled playwright.
8 out of 10
About a brilliant spy, first of all, how about a person
Literally just that I pressed the Home button, inevitably curtailed the Netflix app with the credits for the latest series of this, I will not be afraid of the epithet, a great mini-series. Honestly, over the past few years, cinema has rarely left behind such a bright, clear, aching sense of the ruthlessness of real life. I had never heard of Israeli intelligence officer Eli Cohen before, even though I had visited relatives in Israel many times. I didn’t know how much this brilliant professional contributed to the victory in the 6-Day War. And I had no idea what extent and force of psychological suffering, stretched for years, in principle, able to endure a person of his caliber. All this, together with a lot of equally striking details, was unexpectedly presented to me by the director and screenwriter Gideon Raff.
I will allow myself not to retell the plot, overlapping the reader with future or just received, fresh impressions of watching six episodes, which flew faster for me personally than I could say “Blueberry pie”. I will only note that, despite the obviously inevitable dramatic changes brought by the creators to the plot of the events that unfolded in the first half of the 60s, for all six hours I never caught myself thinking about deliberately squeezing out any emotions from me, as a conscientious spectator. After all, the story itself so uncompromisingly and sharply tears you out of your cozy reality, immersing yourself in an atmosphere of continuous risk, endless cold-blooded selflessness and suffering psychological and moral sacrifices for the benefit of millions of people, that excellent camera and compositional works seem to only slightly emphasize the main aspects of the protagonist’s past.
So, if you decide to start watching, be ready to feel a thousandth, a millionth, a trillionth of the real emotions that his colleagues and loved ones, as well as Eli himself, experienced while undercover, during those four most important years for the history of Israel. After all, even this tiny fraction, only a pale shadow of awareness of his problems and anguish can make you sincerely laugh, wonder, think tensely and feverishly and cry with the main character, not noticing anything and no one around.
Finally, a little retreat from emotions, I would like to sincerely thank Sasha Baron Cohen for his talent, so carefully and skillfully presented to them the view of the camera. Before I started watching, I feared that the numerous comic images of Sasha (Ali G, Borat, Bruno, Dictator), so well known to me, would cause some dissonance in the perception of what was shown on the screen, fortunately “I have never been so wrong.”
This mini-series certainly deserves the attention of everyone, at least because the memory of such people and the understanding that they can exist in reality, walk and live among us, I believe, can change the world for the better.
Shalom!
One of the cinematic dogmas says that every comedian in the soul is tragic. And how many of them fell into this dramatic abyss – can not count. At the same time, the percentage of actor survival in these role-playing kulbits, as practice shows, is much higher than the comedy attempts of dramatic stars. The most recent examples include the brilliant transformations of Jim Carrey ("Joke", "Eternal Sunshine of the Pure Mind", "Man on the Moon"), Steve Carell ("Fox Hunter", "Beautiful Boy"), Ben Stiller ("Brad's Status", "Myrowitz Family Stories"), Melissa McCarthy ("Can You Forgive Me?"). This year, the most hooligan lyceum of the 21st century decided to radically change his role, playing the first “meaty” dramatic role in his career. After the first minutes of the story, you can calmly take your breath and open your fists: Sacha Baron Cohen brilliantly passed the test of the gaping blackness of the abyss.
Undoubtedly, the mini-series “Spy” is, first of all, a dramatic benefit of the comedian, in which he surprisingly curbed his irrepressible comedic energy, collapsing it into a nuanced and minimalistic restraint of the image of the legendary Israeli agent under the cover of Eli Cohen. Sasha Baron so organically fit into the role that moments it is difficult to believe what madness the actor recently did in his cult absurdist-provocative opuses Borat, Bruno and Dictator. Cohen managed to perfectly convey the state of a man forced to juggle images and lives, each time making incredible efforts for the next and painful change of masks. The least you expect such a piercing game from the actor, which many associate only with the "eye pull" - thongs. Oh, it's a shame we didn't get to appreciate Cohen like Freddie Mercury. After the “Spy”, there is no doubt about its capabilities.
In general, the mini-series is woven from classic genre attributes: a kind of alloy from years of proven and slightly mothballed production tools. This is a well-tailored production, albeit slightly confusedly prescribed and in some places a little superficial and unpretentious, but perfectly conveying the atmosphere of that time. There is no authenticity in the series. "The Spy" instantly manages to draw the beholder into a fascinating event cycle, telling one of the most incredible and tragic episodes of the Israeli-Syrian conflict.
In general, a good, old-school, spy movie in the best Hollywood traditions, skillfully pumping suspense even in those moments, the doom of which we know from the very first shots.
Spy: The Pride of the Mossad and the All Jewish People
The Spy is a six-episode miniseries created under the wing of streaming giant Netflix. The most ordinary synopsis, the absence of “noise” before the project, not the most interesting setting for the ordinary viewer (the spy war between Syria and Israel in the 60s), all this made the project, in the literal sense of the word, invisible to the broad audience. I hope that this review will draw your attention to a very interesting, not liked by critics project.
The plot of the series is based on the biography of the most famous spy of the Israeli intelligence Mossad, Eli Cohen. In 1961, Eli Cohen, under the guise of successful businessman Camil Amin Taabet, arrives in Syria to gain the trust of the country’s top officials. For what? To learn about the plans of the Syrian army, various covert operations and to warn Israel of impending threats. In less than six years behind enemy lines, Eli Cohen has been in the offices of the Syrian government’s most important men. He was respected, he became the Deputy Minister of Defense of the country and “leaked” to Israel data, the importance of which is impossible to assess.
Eli Cohen's methods of infiltration to the enemy are still studied in many intelligence schools around the world. For many old-school scouts, Cohen’s work is considered a benchmark, and many believe that if it were not for the Israeli government, Eli would have successfully returned to his homeland without any consequences for himself. Unfortunately, as usually happens, seeing the possibility of introducing its agent into the highest echelons of the enemy’s power, the State forgot about the main thing – reinsurance, for which Eli Cohen paid with his life.
The role of the legendary scout on the screen embodied... You will never believe it, because at first it will be perceived as a bad joke, but nevertheless it is true. The great and terrible Sacha Baron Cohen! That same Borat, Bruno, the Dictator and Ali G, casting off the mask of comicality, took on the role of a man whose personality is revered by Jews around the world. Agreeing to try his hand and thereby paying tribute to the great namesake, Sasha outdid himself, proving to all the bad guys: “Look, I not only know how to joke!”. When watching the first series does not leave the feeling that now, a little more and he will “sprinkle”, will not be able to play such a deep character for so long. But he was able and able so much that even one of the daughters of the great scout admitted: “In some scenes I saw my father.”
Not only that, for Sasha it was the first dramatic, main, in all respects serious role. In addition, Cohen’s character in the film is a scout and his world is divided in two, he is alone at home, and surrounded by an enemy – completely different. A loving father is replaced by an overbearing businessman, a powerful businessman is transformed into a spy, walking on a sharpened razor blade all his life. To see this performance on the screen, a real pleasure for fans of high-quality acting. And to see him from a man who all his career exploited hyperbolized comic images is doubly pleasant.
In addition to the excellent acting work of Sacha Baron Cohen, there are very interesting camera finds in the series. The emotions of the protagonist are transmitted through the camera lens (close-ups of faces pouring sweat on hands, noticing surveillance in store windows) and we, watching him, partly feel them on ourselves. Also very interesting reception with different color correction of the picture, depending on the locations shown in the frame. For example, when the series shows Israel, it is always in a muted, gray tone. Thus, the viewer is hinted that the great country is currently torn by war, it is fighting the enemy and waiting for its peaceful dawn. If the frame shows Syria, then the picture on the contrary is replaced by colorful and juicy, through which the brightness and transience of the existence of the Syrian state with their endless military coups and undercover games are demonstrated.
The only drawback of the series, frankly spoiling the final impression and “sitting down” on the pace of the narrative is the storyline with the wife of the main character. In each episode, after the most interesting scene with an agent behind enemy lines, be prepared, a scene with the agent's poor wife sewing up with household chores is shown. Why? For what? The viewer already remembers that the main character has a wife at home. It does not affect the plot, but in each series of 20% of the total timekeeping is devoted to her, her problems, her lack of sleep, her pregnancy and other things that do not look appropriate in the context of a biopic about a spy acting behind the lines.
Over. “Spy” is a worthy mini-series about a decent man, telling about how one scout was able to lead the leadership of the whole country by the nose. Interesting and most importantly, a real story, keeps in suspense despite the natural, recorded in world history. Sacha Baron Cohen gave the best performance of his career, openly stating that he is ready for roles in a big dramatic movie.
And the most important thing to praise this series in the first place, is the memory. The memory of a man whose history many would hardly know without outside help. This is the digital age where mass culture has replaced history books.