Deep Cover

You can’t just name a movie Deep Cover if there is already a movie called Deep Cover. Deep Cover is a Laurence Fishburne movie directed by Bill Duke. BUT I DIGRESS! Besides the actor’s salaries, which probably constituted about 83% of the budget, this is a relatively low-budget but serviceable action/comedy. There are numerous examples of movies wherein real cops are reluctantly pared with wannabe actors, so it’s not like it’s reinventing the wheel (ibid the title). But, to her credit, Bryce Howard holds it together and Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed offer plenty of complications. The science of improv is barely surface-scraped, but it still offers enough context to “yes, and” and escalate the shopworn gangster plot. The cast seems like they’re having fun. Bloom especially seems to relish taking the piss out of the method actors and the ridiculous Jared Leto techniques. It’s an enjoyable, non-traumatic way to pass the time on a plane.