I Spy (2002)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Betty Thomas

Writers (WGA):

Morton S. Fine (characters) &
David Friedkin (characters) ...

Release Date:

1 November 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

Attitude meets espionage

Plot:

Based on the 1960's television series I Spy. A professional athlete (boxer - Eddie Murphy) has to help a U.S. government agent recover a missing jet.

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Boxing | Espionage | Top Secret | Parody

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Eddie Murphy	...	Kelly
Owen Wilson	...	Alex
Famke Janssen	...	Rachel
Malcolm McDowell	...	Gundars
Gary Cole	...	Carlos
Phill Lewis	...	Jerry
Viv Leacock	...	T.J.
Keith Dallas	...	Lunchbox
Tate Taylor	...	Lieutenant Percy
Lynda Boyd	...	Edna
Bill Mondy	...	McIntyre
Larry Merchant	...	Vegas Commentator
Sugar Ray Leonard	...	Vegas Commentator
Jimmy Lennon Jr.	...	Vegas Ring Announcer
Joe Cortez	...	Vegas Referee

Also Known As:

I-Spy (USA) (promotional title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for action violence, some sexual content and language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hungarian | Russian

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | Canada:13+ | USA:PG-13 (No.38103) | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:PG | France:U | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12A (cut)

Filming Locations:

Buda Castle, Várkerület, Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

BNS stood for the Bureau of National Security.

Goofs:

Continuity: Towards the end of the movie, where Alex is on the bridge and uses his watch to activate the audio/visual using feed on Kelly, Kelly is shown with his left eye closed at first, but before he steps out of the ring, he has his right eye closed, even though the visual feed is only on one side.

Quotes:

Alexander Scott: [to Kelly] That's the type of thing we're gonna be doing on the mission.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: I Spy (#9.17)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Let's Talk About Sex (Ez legalább szex)

Entertaining, But Murphy's Act Getting Old

This is a re-make of sorts, not from a movie but from a television series that made history when Bill Cosby became the first black actor to star (or co-star) in a regular TV show. He and Robert Culp played in the show of the same name.

Here, Eddie Murphy plays Cosby's role and Owen Wilson takes over Culp's character. As funny as Murphy has been over his film career, I, for one, have gotten tired of his loud and abrasive characters. It's getting tiresome. Even in the animated hit, "Shrek," Murphy was loud, too talkative and obnoxious. He can't seem to get away from that kind of character. Wilson was more likable in this film and Famke Janssen was interesting.

There are a few wild action scenes in here and this film is played strictly for two things: comedy and action. Another thing: it should have been rated "R," not PG-13. Overall, the story is lame but it is entertaining so, for that, it's worth a rental.