27/39
Helen embarks on a passionate affair with a man who has no idea of her secret identity. Under fire when her lover falls victim to London’s dangerous criminal underworld, Helen’s employers call on Sam to protect her. Bingo, the owner of the guitar shop where Sam buys his guns, is played by Rat Scabies, a member of The Damned. Graham’s Norton series stars: Cher/Keira Knightley/Michael Fassbender/Josh Brolin/Jalen Ngonda (2024). A New York Tale Written by: Jem Finer, Shane McGowan Starring: The Pogues and Kirsty McCall. STAR RATING: ***** Excellent **** Very Good *** Average ** Poor * Terrible “Helen Webb” (Keira Knightley) lives with her husband Wallace (Andrew Buchan), the Secretary of Defense, and their two children. Everything seems idyllic until her former commanding officer Reed (Sarah Lancashire) re-enters her life and informs her that her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) has been murdered along with two others, forcing her to resurrect her old life as a secret spy on a path of revenge. Reed connects her with Sam (Ben Whishaw), a hitman and her former handler, and together they navigate a complex web of political espionage and assassination. The spy thriller is one of those genres that has faded in popularity over the years but still has the potential to work in new and different formats. Black Doves came out of nowhere, with a massive ad campaign, to become the latest major Netflix release to top the charts as it seeks to revive the genre in our time. The result is a truly mixed picture that holds your attention throughout its pleasantly concise eight episodes, but can’t hide the unevenness of the script. Overall, it’s a fairly standard spy story with some fairly standard swashbuckling tropes that anyone familiar with spy shenanigans of the past will recognise and even embrace. The biggest problem is the uneven tone. The script veers unevenly between tongue-in-cheek comedy and a dark, ponderous spy thriller that leaves you too far behind to really understand it. However, this is offset by some stylish and dynamic action scenes, with Whishaw and Knightley making a convincing pair of mismatched professionals, with Lancashire providing solid support as the icy, detached M-type commander. The spy thriller remains one of those with limitless possibilities, and Black Pigeons, despite its flaws, is a solid addition to the main product, with an interesting mystery at its heart, strong acting and action to match. ***
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