Sometimes an actor can me massively successful and recognisable, but still transform into someone that you hardly ever see in big roles – and the reasons can be pretty obscure, or even fully private. After a long span in which he was a major leading man, one of the faces of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I think it's fair to say Orlando Bloom doesn't get around quite as much.
Still, he's a charming performer and remains game to try fun roles when they do come around, as exemplified by his new movie Deep Cover, coming to Amazon Prime Video on 12 June. He's one of the action-comedy's three stars, alongside Bryce Dallas-Howard and Nick Mohammed.
Deep Cover's writers were probably kicking themselves when Netflix released Hit Man last year, because the films have pretty similar premises. Where Netflix's Linklater flick starred Glen Powell as a part-time actor roped into drug busts for the police, Deep Cover takes things further into absurd territory.
It sees Dallas-Howard as Kat, an actor working as an improv teacher in London when she's approached by Sean Bean as a grizzled local detective. He wants her to choose some students to pose as hardened criminals to infiltrate the city's underworld, and she very much needs the cash on offer. Bloom and Mohammed play her chosen ones, and the three of them team up to act tough.
That looks like it's going to throw up plenty of funny scenarios, as these three earnest actors try their best to pretend they know how to do crimes. Of course, the cast list also throws up another important question – will Sean Bean die? He's famous for playing ill-fated characters, although this movie looks more light-hearted than his usual fare.
There are glimpses of other great character actors, including Ian McShane and Paddy Considine, so it actually looks like Deep Cover has the potential to be quite a hit when it comes out. It's continuing a really busy summer for Prime Video, as it seeks to be crowned as the best streaming service you can subscribe to.
