It was a very enjoyable and fun movie reminiscent of the old Arnold Schwarzenegger movie True Lies that was also a remake of a French Film called "La Totale". There are very similar elements between "The Spy" and "Trues Lies" but "The Spy" is far from a copy. In both, it features a super spy/counter-terrorism agent who goes on missions while his wife thinks he's just a normal man holding a boring, ordinary job. The wife eventually gets involved in a case. She's a flight attendant desperately wanting to get pregnant as apparently that's very important in South Korea. She's obsessed with that goal seeming one-dimensional even annoying at times, but she eventually turns out to be perhaps the best and funniest element of the film. The action mostly takes place in Thailand where, through sheer coincidence, or is it, the husband and wife are there at the same time. She doesn't know he's there but he keeps tabs on her as a tall, young and handsome man (actually a "terrorist") tries to subtly woo her for reasons unknown. The jealous and awkward reactions of the spy/husband make for some of the funniest bits. Very funny also are the reactions of a female agent at base regarding the handsome "terrorist".
It's a very dynamic movie with good action pieces and decent special effects that didn't really look computer-generated (as often happens in modern action/fantastical Asian movies). The plot itself involving a pretty North Korean nuclear scientist wanting to defect to South Korea is quite entertaining and full of twists, better than most action movie plots, as several agencies (from different countries) compete to get or keep her. Parallel to all that is our hero more interested in what his wife does than the mission at hand and having to secretly protect her because she keeps getting in the thick of things. I saw this at the Montreal Fantasia Festival. There were several laugh-out loud moments and I laughed too although I'm usually quite difficult when it comes to humor. I enjoyed the acting (except for all the Caucasian people who seemed bland and amateurish) but keep in mind it's played broader and sillier than what we're used to in North American movies, especially for the wife. The Spy: Undercover Operation was a very entertaining film from start to finish and I'd recommend watching it for a good time.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10 (Very good)
