The mini-series is available to watch right now.
Comedians proving that they are capable of great dramatic performances isn’t exactly a new thing.
Think of Robin Williams in One Hour Photo or Good Will Hunting. Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me? Bill Murray in Lost In Translation. Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love. Steve Carrell in Foxcatcher.
But there are some comedians that you would never figure would want to make that jump, or if they did want to, they might not be capable of sticking the landing.
You might be forgiven for thinking that Sacha Baron Cohen – best known for Ali G, Borat, and Bruno – would be one of those actors, but the first reviews for his new mini-series The Spy have proven that to be incorrect.
“Come to The Spy for Baron Cohen’s performance but stay for this series’ tense drama borne out of the life of a mid-century spy.” – Collider
“[Cohen’s] impressively restrained and charismatic performance helps this suspenseful saga transcend its more conventional moments, turning it into a character study about an individual torn between two worlds and identities, and a gripping account of the sacrifices sometimes required by patriotic service.” – The Daily Beast
“There are shorthand cliches about duty, country and spying that could have been excised. But, flaws aside, this mostly true story of Israel’s most famous spy makes for a compelling story, fuelled by Cohen’s strongest dramatic work yet.” – San Francisco Chronicle
“Sacha Baron Cohen provides another reminder that being a clown requires serious acting chops, which the famous prankster puts to use in The Spy, a taut Netflix limited series based on a pretty remarkable true story. Set in the early 1960s, it’s the Israeli version of James Bond, with a gritty edge and constant sense of jeopardy.” – CNN
The Spy is written and directed by Emmy-winner Gideon Raff (Prisoners of War, Homeland), and it tells the true story of Eli Cohen, an undercover agent in Syria who does his job so well that he finds it hard to strip off his double identity.
All six episodes of the mini-series are available to watch on Netflix right now.
Clip via Netflix
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