DVD Review: S*P*Y*S (1974)

In 1970 Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould made movie history with their portrayals of Hawkeye and Trapper John, two young wisecracking surgeons working at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. The success of M*A*S*H (1970) catapulted Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould into superstardom and audiences wanted to see them together again in more films.

In 1974 the actors got an opportunity to team-up again in Irvin Kershner's unusual comedy S*P*Y*S, which was recently released on NTSC Region-1 DVD in the US. This spy spoof was panned by critics when it was originally released and it's easy to see why the movie has received a lot of negative reviews, but I still think S*P*Y*S has a few things to offer potential viewers.

Like M*A*S*H, the film is very much a product of it's time and the radical politics of the era play a large part in the movies portrayal of government figures and the shady world of international espionage. S*P*Y*S is obviously not as smart or well-written as Robert Altman's critically acclaimed M*A*S*H, but not all the jokes in S*P*Y*S fall flat and some of the action filled comedy sequences do offer a few laughs.

Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould have a natural chemistry together and it's fun to watch them bounce jokes off one another. Both actors work well as a team and they manage to bring some life to S*P*Y*S lackluster script. Sutherland and Gould were iconic counterculture figures in the seventies and their shared easygoing humor is undeniably appealing here.

The movie also stars the beautiful French pop icon Zouzou as a radical anarchist named Sybil. Her role in the film is unfortunately brief, but Zouzou is a lot of fun to watch whenever she is on screen. The rest of the cast is pretty forgettable, but the french actors Xavier Gélin and Pierre Oudrey are memorable as Sybil's revolutionary minded companions.

Director Irvin Kershner has had a decidely mixed carer behind the camera with a few hits and many misses. After making S*P*Y*S he made some critically acclaimed films such as Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Ironically Kershner would also go on to make the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983) which marked his only return to the spy genre after making S*P*Y*S.

If viewers expect S*P*Y*S to be another M*A*S*H, they're bound to be disappointed. On the other hand, if you watch the film with no expectations you might enjoy yourself. S*P*Y*S is a quirky unconventional spy spoof that has limited appeal, but a lot of charm.

The 20th Century Fox DVD release of S*P*Y*S comes with some nice extras, including a featurette called Inside S*P*Y*S which contains interviews with the director Irvin Kershner and the film's star Elliott Gould. Both men express their disappointment with the movie, but the "making of" stories they share are really interesting and informative. The disc also features a government documentary by Irvin Kershner called The Road of a Hundred Days and an original trailer for S*P*Y*S.

For more information about the DVD please visit Amazon.

- Kimberly Lindbergs