Espion(s) / Spy(ies) - DVD Review

Courtesy of E1 Entertainment

Writer/Dir: Nicolas Saada - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Guillaume Canet, Géraldine Pailhas, Stephen Rea, Vincent Regan, Alexander Siddig, Vincent Regan, Hippolyte Girardot, Hiam Abbass, Jamie Harding
France/UK, 2009

Reason to see: DVD cover image completely piqued my curiosity

Espion(s) was a real treat to watch. As the titles infers, and also known as Spy(ies), we head into the land of espionage. But, it's from a completely fresh perspective because we follow Vincent, played beautifully by Guillaume Canet, who one day works in airport security and then gets pulled into larger picture of international espionage.

Now, he isn't all of a sudden tearing down helicopters with a pocket knife, but rather using a softer touch and being a part of one piece in larger whole. It's a very interesting choice to hone in on a smaller scale here, and it really works because it stays firmly centred in the human factor and honest reactions to being placed in a heightened scenario. Vincent is actually a caring and very accessible character, so we certainly feel for him being but in an odd situations. Then factor in a romantic element with the character Claire (played by Géraldine Pailhas), we have something very different that what you would normally see in a spy film.

The emotional journey of the characters in Espion(s) are just as if not more important that the actual plot of the film, which is why I loved it. It really kept the humanness of the situations present and acknowledged throughout the film. The chemistry between Vincent & Claire was fantastic and their actions and reactions very believable. I felt for them every step of the way. I really enjoyed this different take on a spy film and would love to see more films like it.

DVD Extras: English Subtitles, French Closed Captioning

Espion(s) is available on DVD as of July 27, 2010. Check it out over at Amazon.ca

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I've already watched it again
I'd recommend it as fans of dramas, thriller and darker set romance

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© Shannon Ridler, 2010