Written and directed by Joey J. Haley, after three months of careful preparation, it’s finally the night to carry out their mission. Marcy (Chloe Baldwin) and Odi (Jewell Karinen) ready themselves to attend the 18th century ball of an overtly rich prison owner. If riding the high stakes of disabling his plans were not enough, their unprofessional feelings for each other start to unveil at the non-promise of tomorrow. Through the course of their last conversations before the ball, they also reveal their self-appointed missions that showcase opposite values. What happens when longing comes up against morals?
There’s a strange balance to Spies in Corsets, its real story is the tension and chemistry between Marcy and Odi but that’s predicated upon a rather complicated, dystopian-like, Mission Impossible scenario. The simple intimacy of its heart is at odds with its attempt to build a convoluted background and makes its story a mixed success. Undoubtedly having that life or death scenario helps to charge the atmosphere and their attraction to one another but the detail of it is a distraction. It feels as though they needed to scale it down and basically do the minimum with that side of things so that the focus could entirely remain on the characters.
The writing of the characters themselves is well done, they have good, interesting personalities that can be entirely complementary to one another but also at odds, which makes for a great back and forth. Something that’s brought to life well by the performances from Chloe Baldwin and Jewell Karinen. They have a great chemistry, the tension is very strong, the pull they have towards one another is convincing and organic, and their attempt to resist is captivating. It’s a very classic will they-won’t they scenario, and seeing them tease and nudge each other, as they test their boundaries works really well.
Visually it can be hit and miss, Haley’s direction has a good focus on the intimacy, keeping nice and close to the actors to really embrace the tension. However, the cinematography can be overly dark, it’s losing some of the detail and the colours aren’t standing out enough. Its score can also feel overly dramatic, particularly in the opening, it doesn’t quite ease you in, rather diving in headfirst. The editing could benefit from being a touch sharper, particularly in a brief moment of fight choreography which doesn’t feel entirely graceful and a helping hand from behind the camera might have smoothed that over.
Spies in Corsets has a good idea but it’s trying to propose a much more complicated story than it has the time, space or detail to explore. It’s a shame as that ultimately takes away from what is the real focus of the film which is the undeniable chemistry between its characters. That romantic vein filled with banter and flirty teasing is a lot of fun so if it could simplify things a bit to let that fully take the spotlight, it might have been even stronger. It can feel a touch old-fashioned at times and the cinematography doesn’t quite hit the spot, but the direction is solid and Chloe Baldwin and Jewell Karinen make for an enjoyable couple to watch.
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