‘Masterpiece’ Sacha Baron Cohen thriller much better than Ladies First | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

Netflix subscribers are being encouraged to watch this “masterpiece” thriller starring Sacha Baron Cohen as his new film gets abysmal reviews.

Ladies First is led by the Borat and Ali G star alongside Rosamund Pike and follows a sexist man who is suddenly transported to a parallel universe run by women.

In his own world, Cohen’s Damien Sachs is a suave yet chauvinistic ladies man to whom success comes naturally, but he soon gets a taste of his own medicine after bumping his head and clashing with his now boss Alex Fox (played by Pike), finding himself at the bottom of the food chain and fending off harassment from this reality’s powerful women.

Released on Netflix yesterday (Friday, 22nd May), the latest project from the comedy legend has sadly been dubbed a misfire, with the Guardian calling it “excruciatingly unfunny”, adding that co-star Pike is “deserving of far, far better than this”.

The Telegraph was equally scathing in their two-star review, asking “what is Rosamund Pike doing in this stupid comedy?” and lamenting the wasted talents of a stellar British cast, which also includes Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), Emily Mortimer (Paddington In Peru), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), and Richard E Grant (The Other Bennet Sister).

Thankfully, fans of Cohen have another option to check out on Netflix this weekend, although be prepared for a dramatically different tone.

His 2019 period thriller The Spy featured a rare dramatic role from the Borat icon as real-life Mossad agent Eli Cohen (no relation), who infiltrated the Syrian government in the 1960 as Kamel Amin Thaabet.

Building up to the Six-Day War between Israel and Syria in 1967, the six-part drama follows Cohen’s mission to establish himself in Syrian high society in Buenos Aires and Damascus, eventually becoming a close friend of future president Amin al-Hafiz before the operation comes to an end with a jaw-dropping climax.

While some viewers have criticised elements of The Spy for historical inaccuracies, it still stands as an edge-of-your-seat thriller that those avoiding Cohen’s crass comedy Ladies First should definitely consider.

One IMDb user described the series as “a must watch masterpiece!” in their 10/10 review, adding: “A brilliant and full of suspension stuff with great performance and smart directing.”

Someone else claimed it features “Sacha Cohen’s most extraordinary performance so far”. They went on: “This show is legit the best show I’ve watched in a long long time. Excellent plotline with wonderful acting and the story is so crisp that you’d not want to stop watching at any second at all. I’m so glad to have found this gem of a show. It’s a definite must watch for anyone that loves espionage thrillers.”

And a final fan praised the leading man: “What really got me going was discovering SB Cohen in a serious and dark role. Surprisingly, I found him to be surreal, amazing, convincing, all in all, an amazing performance.”

It also boasts an impressive 86 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and 85 percent from audiences, so make sure it’s on your list if you’re a fan of gripping true stories.

The Spy is available to stream on Netflix.