Deep Cover (2025) Movie Review – Is it as funny as it sounds?
Is it as funny as it sounds?
Deep Cover is a crime comedy that dropped on Amazon Prime in June 2025 and caught attention for its hilarious trailer. It has Orlando Bloom looking even more like Luke Evans than Luke Evans does, Nick Mohammed finally leading a comedy after Ted Lasso, and Bryce Dallas Howard redeeming herself after the mess that was Argylle. Let's not forget the undercover trope, but for once, it doesn't involve cops but three improv comedians.
Helmed by the Jurassic World team, Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly, Ben Ashenden and co-star Alexander Owen, Deep Cover seems to be going all out as it also stars Ian McShane, Paddy Considine, Sean Bean and Sonoya Mizuno.
The Amazon Prime Original begins with Detective Billings enlisting failed comedian-turned-improv teacher, Kat, for an off-the-books undercover program to bust a small contraband operation. With all her good students being booked by agents, Kat teams up with method actor Marlon and Hugh, a socially inept officegoer.
Unfortunately for the trio, and fortunately for Billings, Marlon goes too method and gets them an in with Fly, a drug lord. Hoping to make a big bust, Billings pushes the trio to improvise their way into Fly's gang and bust his next big drug deal. At the same time, unbeknownst to everyone, Inspector Dawes and his Gen-Z of a partner, Beverley, are looking into the three assassins who are suddenly wreaking havoc all over town.
Surprisingly, Deep Cover sticks to a neo-noir aesthetic, complete with the dank alleyways of London and low-lit bars. The comedians get the whole shebang, watching in shock as dead bodies are dragged through shady mansions and harshly-lit morgues. Shootouts and confrontations are peppered with Scooby Doo chases and fake guns. While the rest of the characters belong very much to the underbelly, our trio sorely stands out with their over-the-top thuggish outfits and grimey makeup.
The movie is fast-paced and keeps the ball rolling, barely giving time to viewers and the trio to stop and catch their breath. The jokes don't always land but unwittingly highlight the core message of the movie – how one shouldn't try hard to be funny, but go with the flow.
Nick Mohammed's Hugh is the awkward wallflower who tries too hard, literally following the 'yes and' rule of improv which just ends up escalating the situation every single time.
Bryce Dallas Howard is the mother hen of the group, the viewers' spokesperson. You'll be able to relate and roll your eyes with her Kat as she tries to keep Marlon and Hugh in check every time they mess up.
But it is Orlando Bloom who steals the show with Marlon's one-liners. The jokes are pretty meta, constantly poking fun at method acting and to the extremely unnecessary lengths some go. There are some fun and clever references to the cast's past work as well, from Sean Bean's fatalistic roles to Marlon's 'elvish' gig being a Christmas elf instead of Bloom's iconic elvish character, Legolas.
All of the characters end up being a part of the absurdity in some manner or another. While Detective Dawes finds himself in a crime thriller, Beverley keeps the scenes light with his meta-commentary on why cop characters of the genre act so vague and mysterious. Of course, Dawes and the gang members are unable to break through the fourth wall, which leads to hilarious misunderstandings and miscommunication as the comedians are able to coast by on pure luck.
Of course, the premise is nothing original. Deep Cover has a classic gang war trope with some cliched back story on how the cops just cannot catch a break until our misfit heroes land the jackpot. The trio keeps messing up but it never catches up with them until it is time to wrap up all the conflict and give them a happy ending.
The first plot twist is quite predictable but it is our improv actors and how they are stuck, how they react that makes us keep watching. That luck we spoke about is just heavy plot armour that constantly gets them out of hard spots but it is hilarious and entertaining.
By the time the movie ends, viewers will realise that the script is a cliched, predictable, half-empty tank of a narrative. Every single plot twist can be guessed a mile away. But what saves Deep Cover is the cast and their commitment to stick to the bit till the end. Despite how goofy and silly it gets, the characters keep 'yes and'ing till the credits roll. Very meta, we know.
Read More: Deep Cover Ending Explained
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