Since the only review this film has so far received on ciao is less than complementary I feel duty bound to redress the balance.
Though not usually a fan of the tired mismatched buddy comedy formula I genuinely enjoyed this little gem.
The plot centres around Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) ... Read review
Attitude meets espionage. When the 'Switchblade' the most sophisticated stealth fighter ... more
plane ever created is stolen the US government brings in their top spy Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) to track it down. What he doesn't expect is to be teamed up wi...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Superstar Eddie Murphy (The Nutty Professor, Beverly Hills Cop) teams up with Owen Wilson ... more
(Meet The Parents, Behind Enemy Lines) for a hilarious, action-packed thrill ride also starring Famke Janssen (X-Men, GoldenEye) as an ultra-sexy secret agent.A s...
Helps children to improve concentration skills and learn the alphabet in the blink of an ... more
eye. This game involves a double-sided circular playing board with a spinner. Suitable for 2 to 5 players, it includes a double-sided circular board, plastic spinner, 1 die, 5 counters and 5 category cards.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your credit card will not be charged until we ship the item....
Comedy - Director: Tony Dow - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: John Challis, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tessa Peake-Jones, Gwyneth Strong
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Advantages: Wilson, Murphy and a great comic script Disadvantages: It's not the world's most original piece of cinema
...ciao is less than complementary I feel duty bound to redress the balance.
Though not usually a fan of the tired mismatched buddy comedy formula I genuinely enjoyed this little gem.
The plot centres around Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) a rather bumbling secret agent. In order to recover a spy-plane being sold by an evil industrialist he has to team up with the arrogant and ridiculous world boxing champ Kelly Robinson (Eddie ... ...performances from Wilson and Murphy. I have been fan of Owen Wilson since his great comic performance (and writing credit) in the Royal Tenenbaums. He gives a brilliant turn here as the wise cracking everyman. Coming across first as a bit of a hapless idiot it soon becomes clear that Alex has hidden depths. He is an intelligent and charming central character, who finally releases Wilson from his status as Ben Stiller's sidekick. My favourite Alex ... more
Since the only review this film has so far received on ciao is less than complementary I feel duty bound to redress the balance.
Though not usually a fan of the tired mismatched buddy comedy formula I genuinely enjoyed this little gem.
The plot centres around Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) a rather bumbling secret agent. In order to recover a spy-plane being sold by an evil industrialist he has to team up with the arrogant and ridiculous world boxing champ Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy).
The plot isn't great but as a device to allow Murphy and Wilson to spark off each other it's perfectly satisfactory.
The real plus points of the film are the script and the two central performances from Wilson and Murphy. I have been fan of Owen Wilson since his great comic performance (and writing credit) in the Royal Tenenbaums. He gives a brilliant turn here as the wise cracking everyman. Coming across first as a bit of a hapless idiot it soon becomes clear that Alex has hidden depths. He is an intelligent and charming central character, who finally releases Wilson from his status as Ben Stiller's sidekick. My favourite Alex moment is when he uses his knowledge of Hungarian to get 'the black man' (Murphy) arrested.
Murphy is funny again!! Hard to believe after a seemingly endless period in the wilderness with clunkers like 'The Nutty Professor' and 'Pluto Nash' but Murphy has returned like a phoenix from the flames (a little reference to comic fans there in recognition of co-star Famke 'Jean Gray' Janssen). His constant referring to himself in the third person is one of cinema's great running gags. Murphy's enthusiasm for all things spy is also handled beautifully ending on a great gag about flying into Washington like a 'jelly bird' using special anti-gravity gel. Wilson's aside 'I'm going to need a couple of jars of jelly on the plane and two parachutes' is a great piece of comic delivery.
It's one of those films I find myself reciting the gags to my mates. They don't laugh, because the comedy is so wrapped up in Wilson and Murphy's comic skills.
I was so impressed by Wilson that I even watched 'Shanghai Noon' the next day. I had been put off this by the diabolical 'Rush Hour' as on paper it seemed to follow the same basic premise. The difference is where Chris Tucker is an irritating moron (see 'The fifth Element' for incontravertable proof of this) Wilson is an intellegent and extremely likeable comic actor.
The special effects are nicely done but it's the comic set-pieces that really spark.
Betty Thomas has given us a witty and entertaining film which allow the leads to shine and has a lot of fun sending up spy movies at the same time.
Robinson: Hey, what's this? It looks like a sock. Scott: It's a secret spy mask. (Kelly puts it on) Robinson: Hey man, this is a sock!
See this film yourself before making up your mind. As far as I'm concerned it's a highly sucessful comedy with a couple of outstanding central performances.
In the style of Mr. Robinson ... Zoe highly recommends this film.
Advantages: You can take it back to the shop if you still have your receipt. Disadvantages: You can't reclaim the 96.5 minutes of your life that you spent watching it.
...watching this are, "Why did I pay £3.75 to rent this?" If you were unlucky enough to purchase it you may have asked "I paid £14.99 for this?" Have no fear though, if you still have the receipt you can take it back and reclaim what's rightfully yours! However, do not be tempted to ask for the 96.5 minutes of your life back. When I attempted this they threatened to cancel my membership and to distribute my identity to other video/DVD outlets.
These ... ...claim to fame decades ago. I have never been a massive fan of Eddie Murphy in recent years, but this film sees his demise. On the other hand I have been an appreciator of Owen Wilson's recent work, but this film sees his ultimate degradation, if Shanghai Knights hadn't already done so. If there are two words to sum up the actors of this film, they would be SELL OUTS.
I really would love to give you a plot synopsis, hell, even some character information, ...
brock 03.07.2003
· Read full review
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Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
UCA; UNIVERSAL MUSIC OPERATIONS
Release date
04/04/2005
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
C 823 403 9
Barcode
5050582340396
Screenwriter
Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Marianne Wibberley, Cormac Wibberley
Executive Producer
Mark Toberoff, David R. Ginsburg, Betty Thomas, Jenno Topping
Filmmakers Commentary, Gadget And Gizmos, Special FX Featurette, The Slugafest Eddie Murphys Boxing Training Featurette, Cloak And Camouflage Featurette, Schematics And Blueprints Featurette, Theatrical Trailer
Aspect Ratio
1.85 Wide Screen, 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review
"...The roles are tailor-made for the actors....The two lead performers' divergent styles gel..." (Sight and Sound, p.46-7, 01/02/2003)
"...Wilson uses Murphy's blowhard bursts for headwind, playing off the heat for a contrasting cool....The combo has its own music and works well..." (Variety, p.28, 14/10/2002)
DVD Description
When the Air Force's newest stealth bomber disappears complete with cloaking device, secret agent Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) is sent to Budapest to find it. To Scott's dismay, he is teamed with undefeated middleweight champion Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy), who is slated to fight in Budapest where suspected Stealth thief, arms dealer, and boxing fan Arnold Gundars (Malcolm McDowell) is throwing a party in honor of the boxers. Scott uses cool spy equipment to encourage the egotistical Robinson to work with him. Initially at odds with each other, the two eventually bond as they're chased through Budapest by Gundar's henchmen, using spy tools and street smarts to foil the bad guys. To complicate matters, Scott has a crush on sexy agent Rachel (Famke Janssen), who may or may not have her own agenda. Gary Cole plays superstar agent Carlos, the envy of the other agents and the guy with the coolest spy toys. Directed by Betty Thomas (28 DAYS, DR. DOOLITTLE), the film is loosely based on the 1960s television series of the same name starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby.
