Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
When the Switchblade, the most sophisticated prototype stealth fighter created yet, is stolen from the U.S. government, one of the United States' top spies, Alex Scott, is called to action. What he doesn't expect is to get teamed up with a cocky civilian, World Class Boxing Champion Kelly Robinson, on a dangerous top secret espionage mission. Their assignment: using equal parts skill and humor, catch Arnold Gundars, one of the world's most successful arms dealers.
I Spy (2002) is a middling buddy-action comedy adaptation of the classic TV series. The plot is formulaic spy fare with a stolen stealth fighter MacGuffin and predictable beats. Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson have decent chemistry and deliver some laughs, keeping the acting serviceable above the material. The cinematography is functional but unremarkable for the genre. The film offers little novelty—it's a by-the-numbers buddy-cop/spy mashup that recycles familiar tropes from both genres, and the TV adaptation angle adds little distinctiveness. The ending resolves neatly but without surprise or impact, following the expected action-comedy template.