Synopsis: THE SPY is inspired by the real-life story of former Mossad agent, Eli Cohen, who successfully goes undercover in Syria in the early 1960s. Cohen becomes close enough to ambitious military leaders and their rich friends to earn a game-changing level of trust about Syria’s biggest anti-Israel secret initiatives.
Review: There has been a long history of comedic actors trying their hands at dramatic roles with very well regarded results. With The Spy, chameleon-like actor Sacha Baron Cohen tries to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Tom Hanks, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Ben Stiller, Whoopi Goldberg and many more. Cohen, who is actually related (distantly) to the man he portrays, Eli Cohen, gives a subdued performance in this event series that puts his trademark ability to transform into characters into a historical context. While there are certainly echoes of Cohen's comedic work in his physical appearance, as an actor this proves that he has what it takes to take on deeply dramatic work and fully inhabit a character even without crude jokes.
Written and directed by Gideon Raff who recently helmed the Netflix film THE RED SEA DIVING RESORT, which covers a similar story, The Spy is definitely not as flashy as a James Bond or Jason Bourne thriller but makes up for action with truly nailbiting moments that are emphasized by the fact that they really happened. Told over six episodes, The Spy is too deliberately paced for the big screen but feels more like a feature film than a television series. While Sacha Baron Cohen and Noah Emmerich (The Americans, THE TRUMAN SHOW) may be the only recognizable faces to western audiences, those familiar with Raff's Showtime spy series Homeland will find the tone and style very familiar even if this series is set in the 1960s.
Starting with the tragic ending to his career as an operative for the Israeli Army, Eli Cohen's story is one well-documented by historical sources. Even a cursory Google search will tell you quite a bit about his career and why he is so highly regarded in his homeland as a hero. It is doubtful that Syrian history will be as kind to him, but this film presents the exploits of Cohen through the early 1960s as he transforms from a mild-mannered husband to a suave agent taking photographs, discovering military secrets, and barely escaping detection time after time. For Western audiences, this story illustrates a chapter in Middle Eastern history that many may not know about. It is violent and shocking, but even though you already know how it will end, it is still a fascinating story to see unfold.
Fans of the FX series The Americans will instantly gravitate to this story and Sacha Baron Cohen's performance. Playing a Jewish man who must pose as a Muslim in order to spy for Israel, Cohen is forced to deal with what is real and what is not and as his involvement in Syrian political and military secrets escalates, that line blurs more and more. Cohen is absolutely a capable dramatic actor and this should serve as proof he needs more roles like this. Noah Emmerich here plays a man haunted by what his decisions mean in the lives and potential deaths of his operatives. The toll that spying takes on Cohen is felt by those around him, including Emmerich's Dan Peleg as well as Eli Cohen's wife Nadia (Hadar Ratzon-Rotem). As the story moves to it's inevitable conclusion, Eli Cohen's confidence in his own cover begins to unravel and we are forced to go along for the ride.
Gideon Raff's direction recalls many recent espionage thrillers like AMC's The Night Manager and The Little Drummer Girl. Scenes set in Israel tend to be washed out, almost black and white, while those in Syria are bright and highlight the desert landscape. The difference in shifting between the two shows the clear split in Eli Cohen's two lives. The editing also amplifies several tense scenes, especially in an early party sequence as well as a scene where Cohen almost shoots Israeli civilians. Cinematographer Itai Ne'eman brings experience shooting Middle Eastern set series like Homeland, Tyrant, and Dig to give this drama some authenticity. Being set in the past, the series feels like it could have been made fifty years ago. There is even an appearance by Osama Bin Laden as a child that will emphasize this moment in history.
While you may spend the first episode trying to not see Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat, the next episode will have you completely forget about his comedic work. There are some light moments here and there through the series, but The Spy is first and foremost a tense and deliberately paced thriller that will give you a crash course in a tense period in Middle Eastern history. Gideon Raff is certainly putting himself into position as a go-to storyteller about Israeli spy operations and if he can continue to make films and series as interesting as this, I will be first in line to watch. The Spy may only be six episodes long but you will certainly feel it is just the right amount of time to tell this amazing story.
The Spy premieres September 6th on Netflix.
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