Spooks on the big screen
I haven’t been to see a film for what’s a long time for me, so can I just bask in the trailers? I knew I wanted to see Spy (it does appear that Miranda Hart will be pratfalling in it. Hurrah) but now I know I want to see Survivor. The movie seems to boil down to Milla Jovovic vs. Pierce Brosnan.
Right, Spooks: The Greater Good.The more I think of it, the more I like it. It felt like a not too huge expansion into a feature-length story on the big screen. I mean, the show always had an eye to Hollywood for British TV, anyway, but it didn’t go too big. It was clearly made by people who got what made the show tick: so we had betrayals, twists and swift deaths. We had old faces and new ones that weren’t too disconcerting. And most of all, although we had the mentor relationship I’d been expecting, it really was about Harry Pearce being the last one standing and the kind of officer his service needs, faults, brilliance and all.
I am fascinated by how this will fly in America given the anti-CIA tone (although I thought all that was faintly preposterous as sold) and the fact that the baddie was an American-born Islamist terrorist. Most disconcertingly, the actor playing him sounded like Robert Downey Jr. to my ears, although I think they cast him as a mirror image to Will.
Ah, Will. I don’t know Kit Harrington from anything else, although I am given to unserstand that the hair (which I thought silly when I first saw the trailer) comes from Game of Thrones. What struck me was that his (pretty boy) face always looked on the verge of crying. ANYway, fairly usual protégé/father figure stuff with Harry, who played his loyalty to the hilt. And, never mind what Harry said at the end, although Will is a good shot and fighter, he was rarely playing on the same board as Harry and the rest. Normally he’d be the entry character in a film like this, but he really wasn’t, well, unless to audience members who didn’t know the show.
But for those of us who did - Erin (ERIN’S DEATH, classic Spooks, and another kid is orphaned) and MALCOLM and his flat cap. And the Ruth. I basked in the Harry/Ruth, and how clear it was made (using her grave for a meet) that she was the love of his life, and part of his motivation was her service, and that of all the rest of them - although it was nicely balanced with an awareness of who they were serving. Anyway, the treatment of the ship made me beam and added a certain melancholy.
Also good was Peter Firth. Obviously. His face in that scene in the glass room! And the ruthlessness of Harry and the three steps ahead of everyone. I thought he’d get Kassim the second he killed Erin. The pragmatism was tempered by the romanticism of being on ‘the losing side’ and getting the ring as part of a deal that was pretty much treason. And most of what Harry was up to was rather magnificent. Here's one instance where I can get behind the older white guy being the tarnished hero.
Tim McThingy who played Oliver ‘Returning Face’ Mace also had a blast and probably had the highest number of excellent lines.
But let’s talk the new women. I was mostly thinking about Ehle, coming in (it makes me gleeful that Miss Bingley and Elizabeth Bennet have appeared on Spooks now.) I don’t remember what it was that made me put Geraldine on the top of the suspects list very early on, but the ending was satisfying. Her accent went for a bit of a Stateside walk at times, though. (What I really, suddenly, want is for her and Gillian Anderson to be cast opposite each other in something.) I am glad Ehle is back on our screens more, and I liked seeing a woman in power, even if her job seemed to be balancing out male egos.
I also liked Tuppence Middleton’s attempt to de-glam. June had some of Jo’s journey, didn’t she? In the final analysis, I liked that there was no UST between her and Will, well, no overt UST - you could create some from what had happened between them. It was mainly about the job, and she played him - following orders, while he followed Harry - and I was glad that they were able to work together at the end. And the other female officer (offering to turn around was brave but stupid) had decent stuff to do - it’s disgraceful, but seeing all these women in a film like this is rare.
David Harewood played a very David Harewood like role. We heard the Home Sec’s voice - couldn’t they have cast a woman, given...you know?
I’m sure there are bits that I liked that I haven’t really mentioned, but I thought this was well-crafted, had very nice nods to the show and made the leap to the big screen on its own terms. It was entertaining, kept you engaged and had a very apt and British downbeat glumness, even if it was no Le Carre adaptation.
This entry was originally posted at http://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/176880.html.
Right, Spooks: The Greater Good.The more I think of it, the more I like it. It felt like a not too huge expansion into a feature-length story on the big screen. I mean, the show always had an eye to Hollywood for British TV, anyway, but it didn’t go too big. It was clearly made by people who got what made the show tick: so we had betrayals, twists and swift deaths. We had old faces and new ones that weren’t too disconcerting. And most of all, although we had the mentor relationship I’d been expecting, it really was about Harry Pearce being the last one standing and the kind of officer his service needs, faults, brilliance and all.
I am fascinated by how this will fly in America given the anti-CIA tone (although I thought all that was faintly preposterous as sold) and the fact that the baddie was an American-born Islamist terrorist. Most disconcertingly, the actor playing him sounded like Robert Downey Jr. to my ears, although I think they cast him as a mirror image to Will.
Ah, Will. I don’t know Kit Harrington from anything else, although I am given to unserstand that the hair (which I thought silly when I first saw the trailer) comes from Game of Thrones. What struck me was that his (pretty boy) face always looked on the verge of crying. ANYway, fairly usual protégé/father figure stuff with Harry, who played his loyalty to the hilt. And, never mind what Harry said at the end, although Will is a good shot and fighter, he was rarely playing on the same board as Harry and the rest. Normally he’d be the entry character in a film like this, but he really wasn’t, well, unless to audience members who didn’t know the show.
But for those of us who did - Erin (ERIN’S DEATH, classic Spooks, and another kid is orphaned) and MALCOLM and his flat cap. And the Ruth. I basked in the Harry/Ruth, and how clear it was made (using her grave for a meet) that she was the love of his life, and part of his motivation was her service, and that of all the rest of them - although it was nicely balanced with an awareness of who they were serving. Anyway, the treatment of the ship made me beam and added a certain melancholy.
Also good was Peter Firth. Obviously. His face in that scene in the glass room! And the ruthlessness of Harry and the three steps ahead of everyone. I thought he’d get Kassim the second he killed Erin. The pragmatism was tempered by the romanticism of being on ‘the losing side’ and getting the ring as part of a deal that was pretty much treason. And most of what Harry was up to was rather magnificent. Here's one instance where I can get behind the older white guy being the tarnished hero.
Tim McThingy who played Oliver ‘Returning Face’ Mace also had a blast and probably had the highest number of excellent lines.
But let’s talk the new women. I was mostly thinking about Ehle, coming in (it makes me gleeful that Miss Bingley and Elizabeth Bennet have appeared on Spooks now.) I don’t remember what it was that made me put Geraldine on the top of the suspects list very early on, but the ending was satisfying. Her accent went for a bit of a Stateside walk at times, though. (What I really, suddenly, want is for her and Gillian Anderson to be cast opposite each other in something.) I am glad Ehle is back on our screens more, and I liked seeing a woman in power, even if her job seemed to be balancing out male egos.
I also liked Tuppence Middleton’s attempt to de-glam. June had some of Jo’s journey, didn’t she? In the final analysis, I liked that there was no UST between her and Will, well, no overt UST - you could create some from what had happened between them. It was mainly about the job, and she played him - following orders, while he followed Harry - and I was glad that they were able to work together at the end. And the other female officer (offering to turn around was brave but stupid) had decent stuff to do - it’s disgraceful, but seeing all these women in a film like this is rare.
David Harewood played a very David Harewood like role. We heard the Home Sec’s voice - couldn’t they have cast a woman, given...you know?
I’m sure there are bits that I liked that I haven’t really mentioned, but I thought this was well-crafted, had very nice nods to the show and made the leap to the big screen on its own terms. It was entertaining, kept you engaged and had a very apt and British downbeat glumness, even if it was no Le Carre adaptation.
This entry was originally posted at http://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/176880.html.