Written and directed by the chap who made the series that became ‘Homeland’ The Spy tells the true life story of Eli Cohen a top Mossad agent in the 1960s.
The series opens with Eli, played by Sacha Baron Cohen having trouble in getting into the army. His persistence pays off however when he is recruited as a spy after passing some elaborate tests. These were good fun such as 'spot the trail' with some good tips for wannabe stalkers.
He gets the job, but we know it won’t end well as we’ve already had a flash forward of him having his fingernails ripped out - or could this just be a particularly aggressive manicurist?
He starts out in Argentina in a bid to create a false identity as a Syrian businessman. Things start on a small scale with newspapers being sent home as wrappers for his pot export bisiness giving juicy titbits for his handlers.
Soon he is in Syria itself but drawing the attention of Dr Bashir off Deep Space Nine who wears the same scowl in every scene and says very little. Eli however is having fun hosting parties for influential people whilst tapping out messages for those back in Israel.
As the last episode nears we know the end is nigh, as Eli gets too confident and takes too many risks. Can it end well for him and his long suffering wife? Will his antics in the 1960’s solve the Middle Eastern troubles? Probably not.
This was a great series which is well worth the investment of 6 hours of your time. The 1960s settings are well realised and I liked the modern touches such as the Morse code being tapped out in letters on the screen and signs being translated as characters walked by them.
Baron Cohen is excellent as his namesake Eli, and it’s easy to buy how much information he gains through his charm and bravado.
The tension ratchets up as the series continues as the noose slowly tightens - literally! As with a lot of spy series the tension is in the editing, with Eli tapping away as the detector van turns the corner - quick turn it off!
The home front parts were less engaging with the wife doing her best to raise the kids whilst fending off the horny handler.
I hadn’t known about this story before and although some dramatic licence is seemingly used, it is an amazing story of bravery and ultimately hubris.
Some bits, such as a 5 year old Osama bin Laden showing up were a bit on the nose, but for the most part it was compelling and fascinating stuff.
THE Tag Line : Very Nice! 80%
