I Spy (2002)

A professional athlete has to help a U.S. government agent recover a missing jet.

Director:

Betty Thomas

Writers:

Morton S. Fine (characters) (as Morton Fine), David Friedkin (characters)

Stars:

Eddie Murphy, Owen Wilson, Famke Janssen

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Murphy	...	Kelly
Owen Wilson	...	Alex
Famke Janssen	...	Rachel
Malcolm McDowell	...	Gundars
Gary Cole	...	Carlos
Phill Lewis	...	Jerry
Viv Leacock	...	T.J.
Keith Dallas	...	Lunchbox
Tate Taylor	...	Lieutenant Percy
Lynda Boyd	...	Edna
Bill Mondy	...	McIntyre
Larry Merchant	...	Vegas Commentator
Sugar Ray Leonard	...	Vegas Commentator
Jimmy Lennon Jr.	...	Vegas Ring Announcer
Joe Cortez	...	Vegas Referee

Storyline

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 illegal arms dealers, and foil his treacherous plans for the plane.

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Plot Keywords:

stealth | boxer | top secret | espionage | spy | 

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Taglines:

Get another field of view

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for action violence, some sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures - storyline and trailers

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hungarian Russian

Release Date:

1 November 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

I-Spy

Filming Locations:

Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,752,803, 3 November 2002, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$33,561,137

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,279,822

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Tall Trees Productions,C-2 Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the filmmakers were lucky to secure the Buda Castle, the use of that location presented them with some challenges. Director of Photography Oliver Wood explained: "The Castle was honeycombed with caves underneath. So every time I wanted to bring in a heavy piece of equipment in for a shot, we ran the risk of the equipment sinking into the road down to the caves underneath."

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Goofs

In the opening of the scene at the top of the bridge in Budapest, the water in the bottom-left corner of the screen has ripples that reflect the lights of the city. However, due to the fact that this is a soundstage backdrop, the ripples do not move.

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Quotes

Kelly Robinson: [to Alex] Hey, come on now. Hey, come on now. Let me at least see the goods.

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Alternate Versions

The UK release has 1 second cut from the film (shot of a knife entering someone's leg and then being removed) to avoid a '15' rating.

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Connections

Featured in I Spy: Gadgets & Gizmos (2003)

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Soundtracks

Full Mode
Written by N.O.R.E. (as Victor Santiago), Pharrell Williams (as Pharrell L. Williams) and Capone (as Kiam Holley)
Performed by N.O.R.E. and Capone
Courtesy of Def Jam Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Better than I'd heard--- Wilson, Murphy, and Jannsen get to shine and dazzle us in the movie's second half

A lot better than I expected! I'd read dreadful reviews, and while I clearly see the bases of the critics' points (I try to only read good critics, critics with useful insights), I must confess I wound up liking the movie.

The first 45 minutes or so was pretty lame--- slow, awkward, annoying. But the it picked up steam, and allowed Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson (my two favorite actors, for real) to be their charming and weird selves. And that Famke Jannsen--- Wow! Those Dutch folks grow some hot babes! At least, I think she was Dutch, once??? Whatever--- she's VERY sexy, charming, intelligent, and graceful. All 3 of these folks were largely very watchable.