As if he wasn't busy enough already, touring with Show Pony, guesting in Slow Horses, possibly appearing in the next season of Ted Lasso and definitely appearing in Celebrity Traitors, Nick Mohammed now pops up as one of the leads in the new Prime Video action comedy Deep Cover.
Mohammed plays nerdy wee man IT guy Hugh, who, after wandering into the Comedy Store, decides to do an improv course to boost his self-confidence. The course's teacher Kat is played by Bryce Dallas Howard, going through a confidence crisis herself. And then another needy person pitches up, actor down on his luck Marlon (Orlando Bloom, looking uncannily like Wolfie Smith when we first see him with long hair and beret).
For reasons far too complex to go into here, they suddenly find themselves going undercover to help out a cop, played by Sean Bean being as Sean Bean as usual. There is a just-about-believable fiendish logic here - who can fake their way into a criminal underworld better than skilled improvisers who can make it up on the spot. Well, yes. And no.
Somehow they get away with it. And so does the film, which is credited to Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly with further writing credits for Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen, the comic duo The Pin. Director Tom Kingsley certainly keeps the pace moving even if the plot frequently stretches credibility to snapping point.
Mohammed is the stand-out performer here. whether playing the role of a hard ball drug dealer and snorting cocaine or (almost) having a steamy sex scene. When he comes up against the Mr Big of all Mr Bigs, scarily played by teak-faced Ian McShane, he gives as good as he gets. Suddenly the wee man has found his confidence.
Deep Cover doesn't quite feel entirely original. There are echoes of Simon Pegg/Nick Frost at times (Paddy Considine, who has featured with them, most notably in Hot Fuzz, is a baddie here). There's more than a nod to Guy Ritchie's various flat-capped gangster movies. And if your attention starts to drift you can always play spot-the-comic - there's Katy Wix, Sophie Duker, Omid Djalili meeting a grisly end, Freya Parker, Ania Magliano among others.
Mohammed has already worked in Hollywood, featuring in The Martian with Matt Damon. Deep Cover won't change anyone's world, but it might just make Hollywood sit up and take even more notice of Mohammed.
Deep Cover is now streaming on Prime Video.
