This film’s premise is irresistible, and the execution is a hoot.
The four scripters — Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow, Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen — concocted a sharp comedy thriller with plenty of mirthful, rat-a-tat dialogue. Director Tom Kingsley and editor Mark Williams maintain a lively pace, and Daniel Pemberton’s score adds just the right flourish.
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| Fly (Paddy Considine, far left) is impressed by what his new colleagues — from left, Kat (Bryce Dallas Howard), Hugh (Nick Mohammed) and Marlon (Orlando Bloom) — have accomplished ... even if he doesn't entirely trust them. |
Kat (Bryce Dallas Howard), a wannabe stand-up comic, has taken solace in leading improv lessons for other would-be superstars; she’s sweet, patient and nurturing. One of her students is the über-serious Marlon (Orlando Bloom), who has embraced Stanislavski’s method approach to an unfortunate degree, and believes himself the next Robert De Niro. Even so, the poor guy can’t do better than TV commercials.
Elsewhere, shy IT wonk Hugh (Nick Mohammed) hasn’t the faintest concept of social skills, and frequently is ridiculed by his co-workers. He stumbles into Kat’s class one day, hoping to learn the fine art of casual conversation, and become more at ease with himself.
Unknown to all, Kat and her students have been observed by veteran London police officer Billings (Sean Bean), who has hatched an audacious plan for a sting operation. Knowing that bad guys can smell undercover cops a mile away, Billings proposes that Kat, Marlon and Hugh work as a team to help nail small-potatoes criminals selling knock-off cigarettes.
Intrigued by the challenge — and also excited by the low-level danger — they agree.
When they show up the next day, Kat has tarted up, going for tough-chick street sleaze, accompanied by a sassy attitude. Marlon looks, sounds and behaves like a dangerous mob enforcer, while Nick ... looks like himself. Which is to say, a nerdy accountant, prompting a long-suffering sigh from Billings.
Their assignment is simple: Stroll into a nearby bodega, ask the guy behind the counter for the “cheap stuff,” complete the purchase, and depart.
What could possibly go wrong?
Quite a lot, as events go down, because Kat and Marlon are too eager to go off-book, repeatedly relying on her “Yes, and...?” class exercise. As a result, they snag an invite to make a major buy from local drug baron Fly (Paddy Considine), which exasperates and delights Billings.
But although Kat and Marlon look and sound like who they’re supposed to be, Fly regards Hugh warily, questioning his appearance. “That’s why we call him Squire,” Kat quickly interjects, while Hugh smiles awkwardly.
In a film laden with laugh-out-loud moments, none is funnier than Mohammed’s nervous body language and mounting terror, when Fly insists that Hugh test the purity of the product.
Alas, matters get even worse when our heroes’ new association with Fly leads to a meeting with his boss, the intimidating Metcalfe (Ian McShane, truly scary). Unlike the laid-back and easygoing Fly, Metcalfe has little tolerance for unknown newcomers.
And yet ... and yet ... through a combination of guile, bravado, Marlon’s menacing behavior and Kat’s lightning-quick wit, they manage to navigate each question, challenge and setback with successful responses that are credible enough for this film’s larkish tone.
Howard, Bloom and Mohammed have a ball with this material. Bloom’s stoic, steely-eyed intensity is a hoot; Marlon clearly believes that his all-in performance will ensure that he’ll never need to get into an actual fight. (If only.) Howard’s stand-out comic moment arrives when Kat — in character, with the others — unexpectedly bumps into her posse of gal pals, who are understandably concerned by what they see.
This, in turn, leads to another uproarious moment in the third act.
Also a stitch: the marvelously staged chase sequence: gruesomely tasteless, and giving new meaning to dark comedy.
Mohammed, so memorable in television’s Ted Lasso, relies on essentially the same shtick here, but it never grows old. Hugh’s stammering unease, coupled with his woefully inadequate efforts to rise to each moment, are priceless. And Hugh becomes even funnier, when he catches the fancy of Fly’s loyal lieutenant, Shosh (Sonoya Mizuno, who looks genuinely capable of the lethal mayhem Marlon merely feigns).
McShane, as always, makes a terrific villain; he gets ample use of his signature serpent’s gaze and insincere smile. The always dependable Bean persuasively makes the grizzled Billings a cop who’s not to be crossed. And although apparently dangerous when initially encountered, Considine soon reveals that Fly has the soul of a teddy bear.
This is fun from start to finish ... although perhaps not for the squeamish.
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