Directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by John Ridley and Michael McCullers, Undercover Brother is the story of a freelance agent who joins a secret African-American organization in a battle against a mysterious villain known as the Man who wants to spread white culture into African-Americans. The film is a spoof of sorts on spy films as well as the world of 70s blaxploitation films as the titular character is played by Eddie Griffin. Also starring Chris Kattan, Dave Chappelle, Denise Richards, Aunjanue Ellis, Neil Patrick Harris, Gary Anthony Williams, Chi McBride, and Billy Dee Williams. Undercover Brother is a hilarious and engaging comedy from Malcolm D. Lee.
Set in a world where African-American pop culture is in a state of decline since the 1980s due to the efforts of a mysterious figure known as the Man, the film is a 70s blaxploitation-inspired spoof on the spy movies where an agent named Undercover Brother fights against the Man and his evil forces as he becomes a member of a secret organization known as the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. to fight against the Man. When a revered general named Boutwell (Billy Dee Williams) becomes a victim of the Man’s plot against Black America by announcing his own fried chicken franchise. Undercover Brother and the rest of the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. organization do whatever they can to stop the Man and his lackey Mr. Feather (Chris Kattan) who would go to great lengths to stop Undercover Brother and his team. All of which is told in a very lively fashion as it plays into a lot of things about African-American culture as well as certain prejudices between White America and Black America.
The film’s screenplay definitely plays into the world of black and white culture as it features some narration by J.D. Hall about this war between the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. and the Man. With Undercover Brother leading the way, the team would include the very angry Chief (Chi McBride) who is a variation of every angry African-American boss. There’s also the brash Sistah Girl (Aunjanue Ellis) who is the film’s conscience of sorts, the nerdy Smart Brother (Gary Anthony Williams), the always angry and paranoid Conspiracy Brother (Dave Chappelle), and a white intern named Lance (Neil Patrick Harris) who is part of the organization due to affirmative action. While they all try to fight the Man and Mr. Feather, Undercover Brother goes through challenges in his line of work as he would endure the world of white culture and the Man’s secret weapon in a white woman known as White She-Devil (Denise Richards).
Part of the script’s genius isn’t just about its riff on popular culture and the idea of black people acting white but also some of its prejudices. There’s one notable scene where Undercover Brother arrives to give his report as he is suddenly dressed up in corduroys and drinking a guava-mango smoothie while talking in a white language. What makes the moment so funny is how his fellow employees react to the news that he slept with a white girl yet Sistah Girl isn’t happy about it. There’s also some prejudices as it relates to white people as Lance is often bullied by Conspiracy Brother where Lance believes that just because a black man does certain things and he’s called a sell-out which shows a lot of contradictions. While it’s a script that showcases a lot of things about certain prejudices in all forms of races plus the way blacks and white often deviate into their own forms of stereotypes. A lot of is presented in a very humorous fashion as the screenplay is often consistently funny.
Malcolm D. Lee’s direction is pretty straightforward in terms of compositions and such while he does infuse a lot of style that pays true to 1970s blaxploitation cinema. A lot of it is played for laughs in some of the fight scenes involving Undercover Brother as well as one between Sistah Girl and White She-Devil. There’s an intimacy that occurs in many of the scenes at the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. secret headquarters while there’s also some scenes where Lee uses some wide shots in some of the film’s locations. There’s also a lot of recurring jokes that Lee puts in such as General Boutwell’s fried chicken commercial, Mr. Feather’s struggle to maintain his whiteness against Undercover Brother, and all sorts of things. Overall, Lee crafts a very witty and thoroughly entertaining comedy about an African-American agent fighting the Man.
Cinematographer Tom Priestley Jr. does excellent work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on bright colors as well as some of the lighting in some of the film’s nighttime scenes. Editor William Kerr does amazing work in the editing with its stylish approach to montages plus some of the rhythmic cuts for its action and humorous moments. Production designer William A. Elliott, with art director Elis Lam and set decorators Ide Foyle and Clive Thomasson, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the secret headquarters of the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. to the look of the home base of Mr. Feather. Costume designer Danielle Hollowell does brilliant work with the costumes from the 70s clothing of Undercover Brother as well as the disguises he wears including the khaki/corduroy clothes he wears under the spell of White She-Devil.
Visual effects supervisor Gudrun Heinze does nice work in some of visual effects that is mostly low-key and minimal for some of the gadgets that Undercover Brother uses. Sound designer Benjamin Cheah and sound editor Paul Urmson do terrific work in the sound from some of the sound effects as well as some of the moments that occur in Mr. Feather‘s secret base. The film’s music by Stanley Clarke is wonderful for its mixture of funk and horn-based music to play into its action and humor while music supervisor Bonnie Greenberg creates a fun soundtrack filled with hip-hop and soul music from James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, Mary J. Blige, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Mary Jane Girls, Average White Band, Snoop Dogg, Rose Royce, Michael Jackson, Kool & the Gang, the O’Jays, and Wild Cherry plus some white-based pop from ‘Nsync, Willa Ford, and a hilarious karaoke cover of Ebony & Ivory.
The casting by Robi Reed is incredible as it features some notable small appearances from James Brown as himself, Jack Noseworthy as Mr. Feather’s assistant, and Robert Trumbull as the mysterious figure known as the Man. Billy Dee Williams is pretty good as General Boutwell who becomes a victim of the Man when he decides to open his own fried chicken franchise instead of running for president while Gary Anthony Williams is terrific as the nerdy scientist Smart Brother. Chi McBride is excellent as often angry Chief who is a version of every angry African-American leader as he carries a picture of Danny Glover. Denise Richards is pretty good as White She-Devil as this very seductive figure who would try to woo Undercover Brother into turning white. Aunjanue Ellis is superb as Sistah Girl as the film’s conscience of sorts as she tries to deal with her feelings for Undercover Brother while doing her job.
Dave Chappelle is hilarious as the very paranoid Conspiracy Brother who always spout some crazy things along with insane theories as he also talks down about the degradation of African-Americans and their stereotypes. The film’s big scene-stealer is Neil Patrick Harris as the white intern Lance where Harris is just awesome as a white guy who does white things while proving to be good at his job just as long as people don’t call him a sissy. Chris Kattan is wonderful as Mr. Feather as this devious henchman of the man who battles Undercover Brother while struggling to maintain his whiteness as it’s Kattan in one of his funniest roles. Finally, there’s Eddie Griffin in a marvelous performance as the titular character as this very lively and resourceful agent who can kick ass and do all sorts of things while Griffin is at his most funniest when he tries to act white as it is one of his best performances ever.
Undercover Brother is a fantastic film from Malcolm D. Lee. Armed with a great cast as well as a smart spoof on the spy films as well as a homage to 70s blaxploitation films. It’s a comedy that is entertaining while having something to say about racial prejudices and such. In the end, Undercover Brother is a solid yet funny film from Malcolm D. Lee.
© thevoid99 2014
Based on Ian Fleming’s James Bond character, The World is Not Enough is the story of James Bond trying to protect a billionaire’s daughter from a madman who plans to create chaos through a nuclear meltdown as Bond gets help from a nuclear physicist to stop it from happening. Directed by Michael Apted and screenplay by Bruce Fierstein, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade from a story by Purvis and Wade. The film has Bond taking on new foes that includes this madman terrorist who is impervious to pain as Pierce Brosnan plays Bond for the third time. Also starring Robert Carlyle, Sophie Marceau, Denise Richards, Robbie Coltrane, John Cleese, Samantha Bond, Desmond Llewelyn, and Judi Dench as M. The World is Not Enough is a decent and fun film from Michael Apted.
After the assassination of Sir Robert King (David Calder) as James Bond tries to catch the assassin (Maria Grazia Cucinotta) that left her taking her own life. Bond learns that the money he retrieved for King was a trap as he and M believe that King’s daughter Elektra (Sophie Marceau) is the next target as she had just survived a kidnapping which her father was to pay the ransom. After getting assigned to project Elektra as she is trying to finish her father’s project to build an oil pipeline all across Asia and Europe. Bond learns that the person that is trying to go after Elektra is a former KGB agent who has turned into a terrorist as he wonders what Renard wants. After some encounter with men going after Elektra, Bond talks to Russian mafia boss Valentin Zukovsky (Robbie Coltrane) about what he knows as Elektra also meets him at Zukovsky’s casino.
When Bond learns that Elektra’s security head Davidoff (Ulrich Thomsen) is in cahoots with Renard, Bond gets rid of him to board a plan to a Russian base in Kazakhstan where he meets American nuclear physicist Christmas Jones (Denise Richards) to investigate what is going on. Bond finally meets Renard who was stealing some plutonium as things get into trouble only for Bond and Jones to escape. After the incident, Bond becomes suspicious about what Renard is up to as he and M learn that a bomb is attached to one of the King pipelines as Bond and Jones try to defuse it. Inside the pipeline, the two makes a horrifying discovery as Bond realizes what is going on. With M suddenly captured, Bond asks Zukovsky for help as Zukovsky also learns what is really going on. This would force Bond to stop Renard from blowing up Istanbul in order to create chaos.
When James Bond is assigned to protect the daughter of a friend that M personally knows, Bond realizes that something is up about a man’s assassination as it involves a terrorist who wants to create chaos in the world. This would then lead to Bond realizing that things are much more complicated as it involves complete control of the oil refineries for Europe and Asia with everyone being played for fools. With the help of a nuclear physicist, Bond would do whatever he can to save the world and his boss.
It’s a premise that is interesting and does play into what is expected in a James Bond story. The problem is that there’s a twist that is revealed in the middle of the second that would change things as a lot of the intrigue and suspense is suddenly gone. It creates a story that becomes uneven as it loses some momentum in the second half where it doesn’t do enough for Bond to really go out there and save the day. While characters like Elektra King and Renard are interesting, the one character that ends up being a nuisance is Christmas Jones as she doesn’t really do much but help Bond out a bit and be involved in whatever nuclear catastrophe that is out there.
Michael Apted’s direction does start out with a bang as it involves a meeting where Bond fights his way out and later a boat chase on the Thames river. Notably in the way the whole action sequence is presented as he does a solid job in keeping up with the momentum of the action. The film’s first half is strong due to the intrigue and suspense that would eventually lead to Bond’s first confrontation with Renard. By its second half once the twist is revealed, the momentum gets lost as it becomes a different film of sorts where Bond has to save M and save the world. Apted does maintain in creating some interesting compositions that includes a climatic battle inside a submarine. Yet, he doesn’t really do anything new that hasn’t been seen before in Bond films. Overall, Apted does a fine job in creating a film that is thrilling and exciting but loses steam in its more action-driven second half.
Cinematographer Adrian Biddle does some excellent work with the cinematography for many of the film‘s interiors in the King estate as well as the island where Renard stages his big plan along with some nice exteriors of the locations in London and Istanbul. Editor Jim Clark does terrific work with the editing by using a lot of stylish cuts including dissolves for the transitions along with rhythmic cuts to play up the film‘s action. Production designer Peter Lamont, with set decorator Simon Wakefield and art director Neil Lamont, does nice work with the set pieces such as the King estate as well as the submarine that Renard takes. Costume designer Lindy Hemming does some fine work with the costumes such as the glamorous dresses that Elektra wears to establish her heiress persona.
Special effects supervisor Chris Corbould and visual effects supervisors Steve Broughton and Mara Bryan do some superb work with special effects for some scenes including a meeting scene where M and Bond are briefed about Renard. Sound editor Martin Evans does wonderful work with the sound to capture the hollow sounds of the pipeline bomb scene to the array of layered sounds in some of the film‘s action sequences. The film’s music by David Arnold is brilliant for its thrilling score that plays up to the bombast of the action scenes as well as creating nice uses for the famed Bond theme. The title song performed by Garbage is a pretty decent track that mixes alt-rock with lush strings as it’s sung adequately by Shirley Manson.
The casting by Debbie McWilliams is stellar for the ensemble that is created as it includes some small appearances from Maria Grazia Cucinotta as King’s assassin, jungle music star Goldie as Zukovsky’s bodyguard, Ulrich Thomsen as Elektra’s security head Davidoff, Serena Scott Thomas as a physician Bond seduces, Colin Salmon as MI6 chief of staff Charles Robinson, and David Calder as Elektra’s father Sir Robert King. John Cleese is very good in a funny role as Q’s successor R while Samantha Bond is wonderful as Miss Moneypenny. In his final appearance as Q, Desmond Llewelyn gives a very delightful performance as the inventor as he goes out in grand style. Robbie Coltrane is excellent as Russian mafia boss Valentine Zukovsky who aids Bond in finding out what Renard is up to. Judi Dench is superb as M as she takes on personal interest to help Elektra only to realize what is really going on as she finds herself taken.
Denise Richards is absolutely awful as Dr. Christmas Jones as she says some really bad lines while exhibiting clothing that baffles people into thinking that she is a nuclear physicist as she does live up to the title as the worst Bond girl ever. Sophie Marceau is very good as Elektra King by displaying a great sense of sensuality as well as complexity about what she wants. Robert Carlyle is quite fine as the villainous Renard in his motivations and the fact that he’s impervious to pain although Carlyle doesn’t really get to do enough to make Renard more memorable. Finally, there’s Pierce Brosnan in a remarkable role as James Bond where he displays his sense of charm and wit to the role while also being the badass although the script doesn’t really give anything new to do despite the fact that he makes Bond a fun character to watch.
The World is Not Enough is a pretty good film from Michael Apted that features Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. While it does have a lot of moments that keeps fan excited and such, it does get hampered by an underwhelming second half that loses its intrigue due to a twist in the story. While it is one of the weaker films of the James Bond franchise, it is still better than most action-adventure films that are out there. In the end, The World is Not Enough is an enjoyable film from Michael Apted.
James Bond Files: The EON Films: Dr. No - From Russia with Love - Goldfinger - Thunderball - You Only Live Twice - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Diamonds are Forever - Live and Let Die - The Man with the Golden Gun - The Spy Who Loved Me - Moonraker - For Your Eyes Only - Octopussy - A View to a Kill - The Living Daylights - Licence to Kill - GoldenEye - Tomorrow Never Dies - Die Another Day - Casino Royale (2006 film) - Quantum of Solace - Skyfall - SPECTRE - No Time to Die
Non-EON Films: Casino Royale (Climax! TV Episode) - Casino Royale (1967 film) - Never Say Never Again
Bond Documentaries: Bond Girls Are Forever - True Bond - Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007
© thevoid99 2012
