Who doesn’t love a spy film? A little 007, a little MI-6, some covert double agents? Obviously we all do given that we’re getting ready for the 25th film in the Bond franchise. But what if that thrill and edge-of-your-seat exhilaration is turned on its head as a fun-filled parody a la “Batman” 1966 that is played seriously but set against somewhat camp design with set models, purposeful green screen, fun lensing with changing aspect ratios, and genre-blending elements of rom com, but delivers laughs galore? Well, that’s just what we get from director Drew Mylrea with SPY INTERVENTION. This is one fresh and fun film!
Co-written by Mark Famigletti and actor-turned-screenwriter Lane Garrison, SPY INTERVENTION is the story of international super-spy Corey Gage. Known as the “world’s greatest spy”, no job is too big, no criminal too small, as Corey and his sidekick Smuts travel the world being super spies while breaking some hearts along the way. But what happens when Corey literally runs into a woman in a mall while chasing a suspect? On impact, he is bitten by the love bug and believes her to be the love of his life. Talk about love at first sight! But while running into Pam Grayson may bring him love, it cost him the capture of his target, Doyle Egan.
So smitten by Pam, Corey decides on the spot to retire from the spy game, get married and settle down in suburbia, complete with a house, a yard, countless trips to Home Depot and Lowe’s, and the never-ending promise of dinner parties and track lighting. And of course, no longer a spy, Corey needs a job, and what better job than that which he used as a cover with Pam the first time they met – a cardboard box salesman.
While wedded bliss and the white picket fence myth is ideal for awhile, Corey is clearly getting a bit bored. And missing his one-time partner, Smuts takes it upon himself to do something about it. Thanks to a “spy intervention”, Smuts offers Corey the chance to come back into the fold and go after the one that got away – Egan. Seems that Egan has been spotted in the town where Corey has settled down. Agreeing to hunt Egan with the proviso that it can only be done part-time so as not to disrupt his new life, Corey steps back into the ring. But just how long does he think he can keep something like this from Pam, who gets suspicious with missed dinners, late nights home from the office, and uninstalled track lighting still lying around?
With the new Bond flick “No Time To Die” hitting theatres in April with a retired James Bond settling down in Jamaica with the love of his life, SPY INTERVENTION doesn’t seem that far-fetched, does it? But that’s where director Drew Mylrea and cinematographer Danny Grunes give their visual talents a chance to shine and take SPY INTERVENTION in a fun-filled direction.
Creating a wonderful visual tonal bandwidth and visual structure with purposeful use of green screen, Mylrea delivers entertaining visuals while still grounding the film in the relationship between Corey and Pam. Thanks to a changing aspect ratio switching from widescreen (2.35:1) to fullscreen (4:3) but tuned to the main focus as being the married life of Pam and Corey, Grunes designs and delivers some nice lighting and lensing. Using different palettes to differentiate between Corey’s spy world and the humdrum suburbanite life of the couple, Mylrea, also serving as the film’s editor, effectively blends the two while finding that perfect balance between flat out comedy and serious story.
Standout are some “less than Marvel quality” visual effects and the use of models to create foreign lands and spy locations (wait until you see Mount Everest and Kathmandu), while Mylrea punctuates all with fun-filled spy gadgets and gizmos.
But at the heart of SPY INTERVENTION is its cast and no one moreso than Drew Van Acker as Corey. If the Broccolis are looking for a new Bond for #26, take a look at Van Acker. He is as well-mannered, suave, and sophisticated in a tux jetting around the globe as he is in khakis and polo shirt selling boxes. Van Acker has incredible charisma that comes across at every turn, but never more than when he is paired with Poppy Delevingne as Pam. These two are an onscreen dream team! Not only do they create sparks, but they are beyond believable as a couple. And like Van Acker, Delevingne gets her own chance to show off her range with some laugh-out-loud funny scenes. A word to all, not to be missed is an insanely ridiculous dance-off in the third act that spoofs Schwarzenegger and Curtis in “True Lies.”
Supporting players Blake Anderson and Brittany Furlan as Smuts and Pam’s BFF Brianna, respectively, provide a good portion of the film’s laughs thanks not only to their chemistry but their comedic skills. Watching SPY INTERVENTION and this foursome of Van Acker, Delevingne, Anderson, and Furlan repeatedly reminds one of the fab foursome on “Will & Grace” with the “second bananas” being anything but.
Completing the mission is Roger Suen’s score which captures musical motifs that harken to the “Bond-esque” sounds of old.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to run, don’t walk, to the nearest theatre for SPY INTERVENTION.
Directed by Drew Mylrea
Written by Mark Famigletti and Lane Garrison
Cast: Drew Van Acker, Poppy Delevingne, Blake Anderson, Brittany Furlan
by debbie elias, 02/08/2020
