The Spy - Netflix - (**Spoilers**)

Agent Coulson

First look at Sacha Baron Cohen's Netflix espionage drama which drops on September 6th.

Based on real life Mossad spy Eli Cohen.

Also starring Noah Emmerich & Alexander Siddig

hopefully turns out to be decent. Interesting family connection to the lead actor role.

This six-episode, based-on-a-true-story miniseries from Homeland creator Gideon Raff (who writes and directs the entire series) offers a rare dramatic role for Sacha Baron Cohen. He plays legendary Israeli Mossad agent Eli Cohen (a distant real-life relation of the Borat star), who goes undercover in Damascus in the early 1960s, working his way into Syrian high society over a number of years and providing valuable information to Israel until he is eventually caught and publicly hanged. Noah Emmerich (The Americans) also stars.

Agent Coulson

pixelburp

Looks interesting, and hadn't realised Cohen was turning his hand to a little dramatic acting. Common enough career move for comedians (and IMO, they often make for better-than-average dramatic actors).

Also interesting read that the writing & directing is all one guy; I notice it becoming more common, and it's a good way of ensuring a certain amount of narrative and creative consistency. Helps sell these kind of shows as more inherently cinematic vehicles.

Mr E

Reviews are pretty strong. Has anyone watched it?

https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-spy/season-1?ref=hp

Mr E

Mr E wrote: »

Reviews are pretty strong. Has anyone watched it?

https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-spy/season-1?ref=hp

Watched it yesterday. A great acting performance by Cohen. Worth watching.

Dots1982

Watched the first two episodes. Meh, it’s grand. The main character’s very loving relationship with his wife is a bit of a drag. Overall there’s nothing I found very interesting or original so far in it.

Walter Bishop

Watched two so far, pretty decent.

fin12

Finished the spy, thought it was brilliant.

Mr.Maroon

I watched 2 episodes - it's rubbish. I struggled to finish episode two.

Rjd2

Watched a few episodes and yeah nothing special. Drab looking and very one dimensional characters.

The casting of Emmerich was not a good idea as he reminds you of the Americans a much interesting and complex spy drama.

DellyBelly

It's grand that's about it. Nowt special

dobman88

Just finished it. Thought it was excellent. Found it hard to take Ali G seriously for the first episode but Cohen actually surprisingly very good. Definitely worth watching at only 6 episodes

JP Liz V1

More to Cohen than Ali G and Borat

dobman88

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

More to Cohen than Ali G and Borat

Yes but it's all I've ever seen him in before so it's all I had to compare him to. He definitely changed my mind on him with this show.

K.Flyer

Binge watched it over the weekend in one sitting, incredible story and well portrayed by Cohen.

JP Liz V1

dobman88 wrote: »

Yes but it's all I've ever seen him in before so it's all I had to compare him to. He definitely changed my mind on him with this show.

I wasn't having a dig at you or anyone but yes it really is his comedy sketches and pranks to compare so nice to see a new dramatic range from him

Mac-Chops

Finished this last night and really enjoyed it.

Compelling watching, especially

given we were shown at the very start how it ends which, even if you were/weren't fully clued in on the full story, gave a constant sense of impending doom wondering when and how it was all going to go t*ts up.

Pentecost

Two episodes in, it's pretty decent. Emmerich's American accent keeps breaking out which is annoying. The rest of the actors sound relatively convincing to someone not familiar with the region.

Slydice

Didn't come onto my radar until seeing this thread.

1: Hooked with the filming quality of the rain in the first scene. The episode sets the scene and background. Yet.. it leaves whether or not he signed his own name up to the viewer!

Slydice

2: Done well. Developing the story quickly and showing us the lessons he learns. Feels like they want the story moved to Syria sooner in the series.

The effects where they write on walls is cool. I almost didn't notice the photo of the general they did cos it blended so well.

Slydice

3: They got right into the Syria story after that short bit where I thought there was gonna be more to it.
I'm not sure how much money is involved with that import/export business but like.. that doesn't look cheap to be buying and shipping heaps of furniture and delph. I wonder if they actually made a full business out of it..

The two conflicting scenes showing him and Nadia separated and the bread eating ceremony and then not.. that was a good way to show the toll it's taking on them both.


That scene where yer man was breaking the Pots with the hammer!
Me all like: STAHP!!!! :eek:

Slydice

4: I Swear! The amount of times I thought he was done-for in this episode!
The amount of stuff he got away with! Walking on roof tiles! The wounded leg!
Yer man, the generals Nephew, being way too worried about his own business!

Great seeing Alexander Siddig (Bashir from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). He's got.. just absolutely has got! to be what gets him caught in the end! He makes a great paranoid security looking type!

Nadia is Hadar Ratzon Rotem:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2739673/
She has spywork experience in Homeland and Tyrant that I recognise. I can only kinda remember the homeland episode. Looks like she has more from The Gordin Cell and Prisoners of War. I'm not sure but I think I remember hearing the name Prisoners of War before and that it's supposed to be good.

Noah Emmerich is doing well. I remember him last from The Americans!

RedRochey

Binged over the weekend and thought it was brilliant, thought Cohen was great in it, the story was mad and exciting

Cordell

Same, binged in 2 sessions and it was really good. Seeing Cohen in such a role was a bit weird (his "not in the Mossad" character from Who Is America kept coming back to me now that he was in the Mossad), but still I thought he was great.

Slydice

5: They really handled the Coup at the start well. Showing how complicated and violent it could be along with the spycraft involved.
The reveal of the the Singer was done well. I wonder will the brother tell Nadia.
Only one more episode! Gotta be something big that gets him caught!

Wailin

Nothing special. Don't get the excitement over Borat, sorry Cohen tbh, very average acting.

Slydice

Finished. That was done well. They really focused on the strategic spycraft and personal stories the most and they did that well. The special effects with the writing was new and caught my eye. The set pieces really were something!

6: They flagged what was coming well in advance and I could feel a sense of Chernobyl coming from that.
He signed the letter!