X
- Netflix
- Sep 6, 2019
- Netflix
- Sep 6, 2019
Summary In the 1960s, Mossad agent Eli Cohen (Sacha Baron Cohen) infiltrates Syrian society and becomes friends with military leaders in this six-part limited series based on the real life of the Israeli spy written by Gideon Raff and Max Perry.
Created By: Gideon Raff
- Netflix
- Sep 6, 2019
- Netflix
- Sep 6, 2019
Summary In the 1960s, Mossad agent Eli Cohen (Sacha Baron Cohen) infiltrates Syrian society and becomes friends with military leaders in this six-part limited series based on the real life of the Israeli spy written by Gideon Raff and Max Perry.
Created By: Gideon Raff
Where to Watch
Season Episodes
View All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
68
69% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
31% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
68
69% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
31% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Sometimes it takes an ordinary thriller or procedural to make an extraordinary point. The Spy offers entertaining proof of this.
“The Spy” is gripping drama. Its creators have a satisfying grasp of the truth that there’s little so terrifying as the clickety-clack of a hero-spy tapping out urgent intelligence messages in his lonely room as the enemy’s surveillance team drives around tracking the sound.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 29 User Ratings
6.3
52% Positive
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
28% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
21% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 29 User Ratings
6.3
52% Positive
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
28% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
21% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
If you're not a racist, try to ignore the racists. This is well done. True story. If you think anything that shows people treating Jews or Israelis badly is a lie because you're a racist then maybe watch something else without any jews in it.
Report
SEASON 1
I caught a glimpse of episode 1 and I am not someone who watches television, nor do I binge watch. I don't have the impulse or time. When the trailer showed up on Netflix, I was fascinated. The performances are great and I like this kind of genre. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I liked seeing Sacha in a serious role because he has a mesmerizing dramatic side. The lighting, cinematography and smooth grace of the visual appeals to my eye.
Report
SEASON 1
“The Spy” is a compelling albeit uneven limited series that offers a unique character study of a spy, and in this case, a true chameleon.
The Spy won’t necessarily convince you that Baron Cohen will, like Robin Williams or Jim Carrey before him, prove to be just as potent at playing serious as he was going for belly laughs. But it’s a promising start if he wants to start disappearing into characters whose goals are more dangerous than a prank.
The Spy never quite manages to rise to the level of its excellent lead actors, but ends up being a satisfying depiction of one of the more unusual success stories of international espionage.
For a show that is both thoughtful and appropriately cynical about Israeli intelligence services—the Mossad’s concern for the nation turns even its most effective and devoted citizens into expendable cogs—it is surprisingly gentle to Cohen, a gentleness that becomes indistinguishable from shallowness, a spoiled sort of kindness.
Any spy worth their salt has to be able to present different sides to different people, of course. The role gives [Baron Cohen] too little of those scenes, favoring a domestic drama that grounds the show and robs the star of a weapon he has a unique ability to deploy. As a spy drama, the series is as plodding as its title, reminding the audience of more soaring efforts and lending incident but not enough interest.
A great and true spy story deserves a deeper look than this rather shallow rendition. It's by the book. Our hero is heroic displayed, but his humanity is largely in the shadow. The dialog is dumbed down for the audience-the characters seem to be talking more to the audience than each other-and the plot is Ian Fleming when we need Le Carre. It's really a propaganda piece for Israel rather than an exploration of the psychological tension of living a double life in the devil's lair.
Report
SEASON 1
The acting is atrocious (Cohen is overacting all the scenes but other actors are also weak). It is a show that appears artificial, trying too hard. One example is the use of a colour lens that make appear all the scenes in Israel set in the past as faded photographs. It's a gimmick that adds to the bland, boring atmosphere of the series.
Report
SEASON 1