Spy Hard (1996)

Written by CinemaSerf on July 14, 2022

I think Leslie Nielsen ought to have re-considered his involvement with this really cringe-making comedy. His "Agent Dick" and "WD40" monikers are the stuff of "Carry On" films, and the rest of the humour and dialogue is almost as childish. It's a "Bond" spoof, right from the Maurice Binder-inspired titles, but the plot is far inferior to even the worst of Ian Fleming's works. Nicolette Sheridan ("Ukrinsky") does her best as his Russian counterpart as they both seek out a not-so-ruthless "Rancor" (Andy Griffith) who, of course, wants to take over the world - but the ensuing escapades border all to often on the ridiculously slapstick. The juice has already been well and truly squeezed from the "Drebin" style of hapless character with the daft expressions and double-entendre ridden lines; and this film seems to go on for far longer than the eighty minutes running time. Maybe it just serves to remind us how entertaining the "Naked Gun" franchise was in the beginning, but I can see little else to applaud with this poorly thought out and really derivative attempt at entertainment.