Three wildly different improv actors hired by a London police officer to bust cigarette bootleggers are hilariously mistaken for real gangsters in Deep Cover, a comedy gem with a winning combination of superb casting, a clever script and a breezy narrative that knows exactly when to quit. Stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed strike chemistry gold, gleefully mocking their craft while also proving tremendous comic aptitude.
Deep Cover has a violent introduction, as Albanian drug lords chase a rival with cops in pursuit. Meanwhile, in his office above the fray, Hugh (Mohammed), a socially awkward IT worker, makes a complete fool of himself trying to fraternize with colleagues. A similar situation happens to Marlon (Bloom), a method actor who takes himself too seriously, as he bungles another audition by overstepping the reading. Their worlds soon collide at an improv workshop run by Kat (Bryce Dallas Howard).
A Superb Ensemble
4
/5
- Release Date
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June 12, 2025
- Runtime
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100 Minutes
- Director
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Tom Kingsley
- Writers
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Derek Connolly, Alexander Owen, Ben Ashenden, Colin Trevorrow
- Producers
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Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes
Kat gives helpful advice to her wannabe actor students as they try to hone their improv skills, with laughable results. Marlon always gets too deep in his character development, while Hugh watches from the doorway — he’s stunned when Kat invites him on stage and starts to help this meek turtle out of his shell. Her efforts aren’t lost on a rapt audience member, who approaches Kat after the lesson with an interesting proposition.
Billings (Sean Bean) is a detective trying to bust local stores selling illegal cigarettes. Rookie officers can be spotted a mile away, and Billings needs a crew who obviously aren’t law enforcement to stage the stings. Kat could use the money, and ends up stuck with Marlon and Hugh because everyone else has legitimate acting opportunities. They approach their first shady cashier with specific instructions from Billings about how to orchestrate the purchase, but end up improvising their lines and opening a much bigger can of worms.
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Bloom is a laugh riot as Marlon — who knew he had such excellent comedy chops? His baffling need to manufacture complex backstories, and then exaggerate those characterizations, ups the ante with every criminal gang the trio face. Meanwhile, Hugh, who looks like an accountant at a biker bar, stokes curiosity with his bumbling mannerisms, and the bad guys can’t help but wonder what the heck these disparate dudes are doing together.
But Howard is the glue that holds the glorious charade together, delivering a performance that embodies the comedic foil as the brains and undisputed leader of her gang. Their first encounter with actual crime lords has the lot buying their spiel hook, line, and sinker — these people are so over the top, they must be the biggest badasses around! It’s a reputation that only grows as they inadvertently vanquish enemies and meteorically rise through London’s underworld.
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Another police subplot is borderline genius: Co-writers Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen have supporting roles as new partners who are completely unaware of Billings’ improv plan, and set out to investigate these gangsters who seemingly came out of nowhere. The rub is that Owen’s neophyte cop talks in clichés that drive Ashenden, who plays the senior officer, crazy. Their interactions are brilliantly scripted, and poke fun at the canned dialogue you’d normally hear in crime procedurals.
The primary cast uses classic improv exercises to earn the villains’ trust, a bit that never gets old and escalates the humor in dangerous situations. Marlon — and Hugh to some extent — push the needle forward with suggestive phrases meant to give an improv partner more latitude to respond. They are then viewed as a threat, which Kat must either diffuse or egg on to unsettle their targets. These are some of the film’s best scenes, allowing each member of the collective to shine with their unique contributions.
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Deep Cover never loses steam, in part because it keeps dropping major twists: You don’t know where the story is going after a couple of bombshell reveals completely change the plot’s course. Ashenden and Owen deserve top marks for reinvigorating the film when the premise starts to tread water, and the ending is a genuine surprise that doesn’t wrap everything neatly in a bow. You’re left wanting more, and that’s a significant achievement.
One admittedly valid criticism of Deep Cover is that the antagonists wouldn’t fall so easily for the improv ruse. That’s possible, and willing suspension of disbelief plays a part here. But anyone can be conned under the right circumstances. More importantly, Howard, Bloom, and Mohammed are darn good together. Deep Cover is a fabulously entertaining experience that demands a sequel.
Deep Cover premiered as a Spotlight Narrative at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, and streams exclusively on June 12th on Prime Video.
