Spies Like Us

This is up there with Dr. Strangelove as hilarious col war comedy which delivers on the message that nuclear warfare is human folly. Dan Akroid and Chevy Chase at their prime. War Games in 1983 is another entertaining approach to this topic, though with less comedy and more suspense.

For Chevy Chase fans, this film displays one of his vintage performances---right up there with a couple of his "Vacation" films and "Fletch." He and Dan Aykroyd form a great comedic duo with great chemistry that will leave you wanting for more.

The setting changes rapidly from DC, to Pakistan, to the former Soviet Union. Chase and Aykroyd are identified as expendable Department of State personnel, and therefore trained as covert agent decoys and tasked with an ultra top-secret mission deep inside Soviet territory. The newly appointed agent/spies don't realize they're decoys, but rather, think they're real agents on a real mission. Good stuff.

Together, their bumbling antics throughout agent training and their top-secret mission are good for steady laughs from beginning to end, as they find themselves playing the "accidental hero" role charged with saving the world.

Very scenic locations, some decent special effects (for the mid-80's), and some serious plot-twists amidst the silly humor enables "Spies Like Us" to hold the viewer's attention in-between comedic situations.

I loved this movie growing up, and it is one that I can still laugh at today. Chase and Aykroyd have always set the mid-80's standard of what was funny, and this movie proves it. Of course there are flaws, and it probably could've been better...but for what it's worth, I think it's definitely worth owning, let alone watching.

Judging by the comments given about Spies Like Us, it seems most people, in fact, do like it. Of course, it is meant to be a comedy and nothing else. If people were looking for a break-through in film by watching Spies Like Us, then, Yes...you would be let down.

Good characters, akward situations, nice changes in scenery, and classic one-liners....I'd give it an 8, overall.

Dan Ackroyd stars as the typical CIA think-tank intelligence analyst and Chevy Chase is our answer to the inept, stupid, lazy and bungling agent who wouldn't even pass the first interview in the REAL world of spying. These two collide (comically) with each other in a complicated scheme orchestrated by rebellious military and civillians where they are used as a "distraction" from the real mission. Ackroyd's leadership enables them to survive to complete their mission while the lascivious Chase spends most of his time thinking like the typical male. When they find a Soviet mobile missile launcher and then receive instructions from their rebellious controllers to "accidently" send the thing on it's way to a target in the US, only the quick thinking of Ackroyd can save the day. This movie has some great comic elements as well as good action scenes with decent stunts. Chevy Chase never fails to entertain with his suave, intelligent(he only acts stupid) and sexy character he made famous in other roles. Dan Ackroyd is GREAT as the straight man who keeps Chevy out of trouble. Add this one to your collection of DVD movies in the comedy section on your shelf!

I first saw Spies Like Us when I was a kid, when Chevy Chase was my favourite actor. I must have seen it about fifty times since then and I am almost word-perfect on the script. However, I've never owned the DVD since Warner have never released it in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Thankfully it is currently available in HD on the PlayStation network.

Emmett Fitz-Hume and Austin Millbarge (Chase and Aykroyd) are two lowly government workers who are suddenly promoted to the elite GLG-20 spy status after they are caught cheating on a test. What they don't know is that they are just decoys to draw heat away from the real spies and are promptly dumped straight into enemy territory.

Chase and Aykroyd have great chemistry together and I'm surprised they didn't work together much after this (although they did hook up for The Couch Trip, Caddyshack 2 and Nothing But Trouble). There's loads of fun to had in watching them bumble from one zany situation from the next. And, as this is a Landis film, there are director cameos all over the place. Keep a lookout for Terry Gilliam, Martin Brest, Joel Coen, Sam Raimi etc.

Despite the fanbase, Warner have never showed this film any respect or given special treatment of any kind when it comes to the home video market. As I already said, as of yet the only DVD available is the fullscreen version from 1998. Even the HD version I watched was from a very murky print and has terrible sound. If Warner make a Blu Ray from this master it's still not worth buying.

Give it a rent unless a proper remaster is done. Which is unlikely.