I first saw Spies Like Us when I was a kid, when Chevy Chase was my favourite actor. I must have seen it about fifty times since then and I am almost word-perfect on the script. However, I've never owned the DVD since Warner have never released it in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Thankfully it is currently available in HD on the PlayStation network.

Emmett Fitz-Hume and Austin Millbarge (Chase and Aykroyd) are two lowly government workers who are suddenly promoted to the elite GLG-20 spy status after they are caught cheating on a test. What they don't know is that they are just decoys to draw heat away from the real spies and are promptly dumped straight into enemy territory.

Chase and Aykroyd have great chemistry together and I'm surprised they didn't work together much after this (although they did hook up for The Couch Trip, Caddyshack 2 and Nothing But Trouble). There's loads of fun to had in watching them bumble from one zany situation from the next. And, as this is a Landis film, there are director cameos all over the place. Keep a lookout for Terry Gilliam, Martin Brest, Joel Coen, Sam Raimi etc.

Despite the fanbase, Warner have never showed this film any respect or given special treatment of any kind when it comes to the home video market. As I already said, as of yet the only DVD available is the fullscreen version from 1998. Even the HD version I watched was from a very murky print and has terrible sound. If Warner make a Blu Ray from this master it's still not worth buying.

Give it a rent unless a proper remaster is done. Which is unlikely.

Two screw-ups, Emmitt and Austin (Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd) are promoted in the State Department....not because of their skills but because they are considered very expendable. The plan is to drop these guys behind enemy lines and when the enemy is busy killing them, the real spies will be able to complete their jobs. They are selected after an incredibly unfunny and stupid scene where they are taking Civil Service tests...tests where they are very, very obviously cheating.

Apparently, John Landis was trying to make a modern 'Road Movie'...a reimagined Bob Hope-Bing Crosby film and in some ways he is successful with the film and the plot. But there are two big problems that prevent it from being a successful homage...first, it's not particularly funny and, second, Chevy Chase is pretty obnoxious....leaving Akroyd little to do. It's not a terrible film...more of a time-passer...but certainly not the comedy you would assume it to be. The laughs, sadly, are few and far between. Heck, they're practically non-existent.

SPIES LIKE US is a likable 1980s comedy that basically consists of Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd goofing around for just over an hour and a half. There's no more or less to it than that, but as a fan of the two actors I was completely fine with the premise. The story brings in a Cold War background and features the two stars as 'decoy' agents parachuted into Asia in order to do battle with the nefarious Russians.

I think Chase and Aykroyd are two of the funniest comedians of the era so watching them get the opportunity to team up is a no-brainer for me. Chase plays as always the showier role of the two and peaks earlier with the hilarious exam room set-piece. Aykroyd is slightly more subtle and offers plenty of warm character humour from his nerdy agent. The rambling storyline is basic and episodic but the jokes come thick and fast and there's a good mix of wry and witty one-liners, slapstick humour, and more surreal moments.

The film was directed by John Landis who as ever does a good job with it and takes the time to throw in a few film references for the fans, including cameos for Terry Gilliam, Ray Harryhausen, and even Bob Hope. Sam Raimi and Joel Coen are also present in blink-and-you'll-miss-'em parts. The ending is a little contrived but when the overall result is a good-natured comedy with two stars at the top of their game then it's difficult to criticise too much.