You know, I never thought about how much I want a superspy musical. There have been a few musicals featuring crime capers--such as Ira Levin's Drat! The Cat! and Michel Legrand's gorgeous Amour--but none that I can think of that are a big spy story. Miike Snow suggests that possibility in the music video for "Genghis Khan." Directed by Ninian Doff, "Genghis Khan" suggests a forbidden romance angle between a gold-masked supervillain and a dapper superspy in a classic Bond-like scenario. The spy is strapped down a table in the villain's lair, a deadly laser hanging above him. Something stops the villain from acting out his master plan.
The song is catchy and the video is adorable. The twist ending is excellent, too. Supple Nam's choreography steals the show. It's expressive in the way the best musical theater ballets of the Golden Age focus on exaggerating emotion to best communicate character relationships.
Check out the video below.
"Genghis Khan" is from Miike Snow's upcoming album iii, available March 4. The single is available at all major digital distributors.