Murphy’s law in I Spy

BASED on a 1960s American TV series, I Spy stars Eddie Murphy as Kelly Robinson, a loud-mouthed, egotistical boxer who is recruited by the secret service to help track down a missing plane.

Kelly teams up with National Security agent Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) and it’s not long before the unlikely duo are at each other’s throats.

Using Kelly’s world title fight in Budapest as cover for their operation, they track down prime suspect Arnold Gundars (Malcolm McDowell) who is trying to sell the plane to the highest bidder.

Their plan is to let him lead them to their holy grail.

To add a little spice to the plot, Alex falls for sexy colleague Rachel (Famke Janssen) and turns to Kelly for some help with his wooing skills.

Using ingenious eyeball cameras and a listening device, he coaches Scott in his attempt to bed the dark-haired spy.

When it comes to fast-paced one-liners, Murphy and, to a lesser extent, Wilson, are right at home.

The chemistry between the two keeps things moving along, and when the jokes aren’t flying, bullets are.

Though not as good as some of the spy films it tries to lampoon, I Spy has enough laughs and action to hold your attention until the predictable ending.

Comedy, 12, ***