“ Deep Cover ” opens on a quote — the adage that in comedy, as in battle, you must be prepared to die if you want to kill — that is low-hanging fruit for any snarky critics seeking an easy jab. In truth, however, this knockabout action farce neither dies nor kills, even as its onscreen body count ramps up: It just chugs along enthusiastically for 99 minutes, throwing about a lot of slapstick and a lot of quips, but only intermittently landing an outright laugh. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard , Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed as desperate improv comics improbably snared up in the London underworld, it’s busier than it is funny, more frenetic than dynamic, but watchable enough.

For producer and co-writer Colin Trevorrow , “Deep Cover” marks a return to the scrappier genre comedy of his

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