‘Deep Cover’ (2025) Review – A Wildly Entertaining Ride That Makes You Smile From Start To Finish

The London Comedy Store. It’s certainly a familiar sight for those who have discovered the side streets of Central London, and seeing the black and red display at the door is always a guarantee of a great time. The dark-lit venue not only delivers a hilarious comedy evening featuring both small and big names in the industry, but it’s also Kat’s (Bryce Dallas Howard) second home. Kat is sadly all too familiar with the ‘those who can’t, teach’ saying, as, instead of conquering stage after stage with her clever jokes, she teaches stand-up comedy in the heart of London.

Her road to the success she still craves proves to be way too bumpy, and right when she’s about to throw her towel in the ring, a seasoned cop, Billings (Sean Bean), offers her a life-changing yet unusual opportunity. Kat needs to use her improv skills during small undercover operations, such as purchasing counterfeit cigarettes or handbags. And that’s when the entertaining, humour-packed Deep Cover, the latest feature by Tom Kingsley (Ghosts, Pls Like), takes off!

It might seem an odd choice for the police to find one of its recruits in the underground world of improv comedy. However, just like any undercover cop, improv comedians need to be true chameleons, delivering clever and fast-paced reactions to unpredictable moments. Getting a pitch-perfect response to someone sneezing in the audience is a different amount of pressure than baiting the biggest names in the gun and drug industry. For Kat, it doesn’t seem that much different, especially since she desperately needs the money. However, she can’t pull off this mission alone—cue to her two side colleagues. One of them is her student, Marlon (Orlando Bloom), who, after appearing in only a handful of commercials, believes he’ll soon win the Olivier Award. The other is the socially awkward Hugh (Nick Mohammed), an IT guy who joined the comedy world to make friends.

Because the script itself has nothing new or groundbreaking to offer, as the story of civilians being caught in life-threatening police stings has been explored and done before, Kingsley has to capture the audience’s attention in different ways. He achieves this wonderfully by a) utilising the London locations to their full potential and b) casting the perfect trio of actors, who each relish their roles.

Whether it’s cruising on a Boris bike through the narrow stalls of Camden Market to dispose of a body or entering a small corner store in Hackney for what should have been an easy first undercover job, the filmmaker makes London look like the perfect playground for criminals, improv comedians, and actors. During the last half of the feature, the action takes over from the comedy. While the film loses some of its strength during those scenes, the chaos, dynamic energy, and vibrancy of London always keep Deep Cover from falling into clichés.

It also helps that the laugh-out-loud script is in the hands of an impeccable trio. The three improv actors might not be the ones you would want to recruit for an undercover operation, but the actors are certainly the ones you would want as a director when making an action comedy. Just like her character, Howard (Argylle, Jurassic World: Dominion) anchors both this film and the central relationship with a restrained and grounded performance while also adding bags of charisma and humour. While Mohammed (Ted Lasso, Bridget Jones’s Baby) might not be the biggest name on the cast list, he and Deep Cover are a match made in British comedy heaven. Mohammed truly gets the chance to show both his comedy skills and acting talent. He has a background in stand-up comedy, and it’s a pleasure to see him share that love on-screen.

However, if there’s one performance that rises above them all, it’s certainly Bloom’s (Gran Turismo, Elizabethtown). Who thought that, after having more than fifty acting credits behind his name, Bloom would still be able to surprise us? ‘Out’ are the swoony work and the action-focused performances, and ‘in’ is the hilarious and perfectly timed acting. His Marlon dedicates his time to fabricating overly convoluted background stories. He wants to become a true method actor, but his chaotic approach and “yes and…” style lead him and his two fake gangster colleagues down a dark rabbit hole full of criminal operations, bad guys and deadly consequences.

During the Q&A after the SXSW screening of the feature, Bloom mentioned that people don’t know him for his comedy roles. However, his performance as the pretentious, unsuccessful, yet charismatic wannabe actor will undoubtedly establish him as an actor who can deliver comedy with perfect timing and wit. We hope that he soon takes on another hilarious script, as he’s having a blast in this movie.

While Deep Cover offers nothing new under the sun in terms of story, it’s highly entertaining, funny, and witty. It’ll put a smile on your face from start to finish, delivering an equal amount of laughter and action, and the passion for comedy and filmmaking of the cast and crew is incredibly tangible. Those elements ensure that Deep Cover is a film you would say “yes and…” to!