Netflix 'The Spy' preview: Sacha Baron Cohen shows off his dramatic acting chops as Mossad secret agent Eli Cohen in this espionage thriller
Our story begins in Tel Aviv, 1959.
Sacha Baron Cohen stars as the former Mossad agent Eli Cohen in Netflix's upcoming series 'The Spy'. Inspired by the real-life story of the former agent, 'The Spy' will follow Baron Cohen's character as he successfully goes undercover in Syria in the early 1960s. Eli becomes close enough to ambitious military leaders and their rich friends to earn a game-changing level of trust and learn the truth about Syria’s biggest anti-Israel secret initiatives.
It is indeed interesting to watch Baron Cohen, an actor known for his bizarre comedic characters such as Borat, Bruno and Ali G don a different role since the 1960s espionage thriller will see him in the role of an Israeli clerk turned Mossad secret agent. Eli is a man who wants nothing more than to be of service to his country. He goes undercover as an importer and exporter in Syria in the early 1960s, where he develops close relationships in the political and military echelons of the Syrian elite and government, becoming the Chief Advisor to the Minister of Defense. According to sources, the intelligence that Eli collected before he was arrested is considered to have been an important factor in Israel's success in the Six-Day War. The limited six-part series takes us through this dangerous operation.
In the recently released trailer, we can see Eli as a virtuous family man and loving husband who is very sorry to have left behind his wife Nadia, played by Hadar Ratzon Rotem of 'Homeland' fame, to raise their family on her own. Nadia, however, knows something isn’t right about her husband’s government job. Eli's handler Dan Peleg is played by Noah Emmerich ('The Americans'). He tries to ease his own guilt over the sacrifices Eli makes. Waleed Zuaiter ('Colony') plays Amin Al-Hafz, a military officer who thinks he’s found the perfect ally in the undercover agent.
The limited series is written and directed by Emmy-winner Gideon Raff ('Prisoners of War', 'Homeland' and 'Tyrant') whose last project 'The Red Sea Diving Resort' was about an Egyptian spying for Israel. For Baron Cohen, the spy series does come as a deviation from the roles he is known to play. He has not been known to dabble in dramatic roles the only exceptions being his roles in "Sweeney Todd" and "Les Miserables" where he played much more 'serious' roles than people were used to seeing him in. However, even these roles were used for comic relief.
Fans of the British actor are also intrigued to see him portray a character so astray from his forte. "It is so strange to see Sascha Baron (Cohen) doing drama, but I am definitely going to watch it," (sic) said a fan. "Holy hell, what a reversal of acting. Definitely down to watch this," said another.
You can watch the thrilling trailer here:
'The Spy' is scheduled to release on Netflix on September 6, 2019.
