London Spy

As a gay person who consumed a lot of Japanese yaoi (pseudo-gay manga and anime with some soft to hard sex scenes) and mystery narratives, I was shocked when I watched this BBC short series for the first time. The whole plot is like that of a typical Japanese yaoi or mystery story: it is very much driven by the emotions and the perspective of the protagonist who tries to figure out what his (deceased?) boyfriend Alex was hiding or who tried to kill (?) him. Even the very disturbing encounter with Alex mother is so well staged and told that it took my breath away. The dimly mysterious atmosphere and the constant 'not- knowing' of Danny AND the viewer is very exiting and leaves one wanting to know all the secrets hid behind a curtain of lies.

London SPY is an exceptionally well-filmed thriller centering on the protagonist Danny Holt (Ben Whishaw) and his quest to find out precisely who his lover Alex/ Alistair (Edward Holcroft) actually is, and whether Alex has actually been murdered or not.

That quest takes Danny into a dark and frequently confusing netherworld in which nothing is quite as it seems and truth is indistinguishable from falsehood. Although clearly an innocent party, Danny's ignorance of Alex/ Alistair's past lands him in trouble; he is suspected of having committed murder, even though we are well aware that he is an innocent party - a young, rootless man searching for stability in an often hostile world.

Jakob Verbruggen's six-part thriller unfolds slowly, with the camera focused tightly on the protagonists' facial expressions as they act and react to a variety of different situations. This makes for a claustrophobic atmosphere; we feel as imprisoned as the characters within webs of deceit that are rendered even more confusing by a willful dedication towards perpetuating falsehoods. When Danny visits Alistair/ Alex's parents (Charlotte Rampling, Nicholas Chagrin), he is told a tissue of lies; and subsequently warned off further inquiries by a professional hitperson (Clarke Peters). Needless to say Danny continues his quest for the truth, but ends up becoming more deeply enmeshed within the webs.

Laurie Rose's cinematography is especially effective; his camera swirls around the characters, emphasizing their lack of certainty; and frequently indulges in long tracking shots as the characters move down long corridors or through gardens. This stylistic device is ironic; a tracking shot implies forward movement, almost as if a plot-complication might be resolved in the process. In London SPY, however, the tracking shots lead to nothing, and thereby emphasizing the absence of truth that dominates the plot.

This series might be described as moody, almost reflective in tone, concentrating as much on the characters' emotions as the plot. We share with Danny a desire to unravel the plot, but at the same time realize how easy it is to be bamboozled, especially when there are so many people wanting to create smokescreens, whether verbal or physical. The center of London has seldom seemed so sinister, with the Thameside lights in the background contrasting with the nighttime shadows in which Danny spends much of his time.

London SPY requires our attention, but rewards us for our efforts. Definitely worth staying with.

The title of this fantastic series, "London Spy", may be just a little misleading. If you are looking for a well written, edge of your seat, spy story, you've found it here. "London Spy" is an atmospheric, very stylistic, story of the human condition and spies. However, the international intrigue angle of this series is secondary to, but tightly woven through, a love story between Danny and Alex. They meet briefly, by chance, when Alex is on his early morning jog and Danny is at the end of a long night of partying. It is a metaphor for the opposite ends of life, and the world, from which they will come together. Their awkward relationship is a departure from their entrenched and established lives up to that point. Danny is a party boy at the end of a misspent youth and Alex is an overachiever at the end of a youthful, self-imposed, isolation. Together, they find solace in their unlikely love for one another.

I won't talk about the plot here and give away the well written suspense devices but I will say that something happens between Alex and Danny that calls into question Alex's true identity, his intentions, and his sincerity. Things become inexplicable and unpredictable. And for reasons unknown, everyone; Danny's best friend, Alex's mother, the police, everyone, seems invested in convincing Danny that Alex, and their relationship, is a fraud. Danny finds a coded thumb drive among Alex's belongings that seems to hold answers to something; possibly everything. But he does not have the code and therefore can't read it. What ensues from here is a labyrinthine journey through the world of hidden powers, unlikely loyalties, and Danny's questionable past.

These five episodes are brilliantly written, filmed, and the performances are off the charts amazing. Ben Wishaw is just quite frankly one of the most talented and interesting actors working today. He is in every scene. And as brilliant as his construction of a character is, his ability to step aside and "listen" through a scene demonstrates a talent that is truly unique. Charlotte Rampling, with saddest and most seductive eyes in film, is still statuesque and formidable, and gives one of the best performances of her long and storied career. Her voice lilts with soothing assurance as her words cut you off at the knees. Jim Broadbent? Nuf said. Riccardo Scarmarcio, as a heartless male escort, is as alluring as he is repellent. His one scene in episode 4 is hypnotic. Samantha Spiro as a London police detective shows American actresses how to be powerful and threatening without adopting superficial mannish affectations. She is fierce and effective. You do not want to be interrogated by this woman. Mark Gatiss as a record producer, drug provider, orgy organizer, out of Danny's past is as skeevy as they come. He does not have one redeeming quality and he plays it without a micron of shame. Who ever plays a villain this well?

This screenplay by Tom Rob Smith is well written and the cast and director Jakob Verbruggen, pull it all together into a compelling and riveting story. How this story line is parsed out, clues rationed, and then knitted together at the end is fantastic. The cinematography is just manic in the best possible way. The camera swirls around the actors like a shark around a swimmer, pans from mouth to mouth in a conversation literally carrying the dialogue across open space from character to character, pulls in so tight that at times the only image on the screen is the contour of a cheekbone or a speaking mouth. The necktie scene in the opening of episode 2 is powerful because of how beautifully it's filmed.

I have only one complaint . The fifth episode goes a little weak, and has "The End" written all over it. As in, no season 2. This mini series does cater to a fairly narrow audience I guess. There is nothing vulgar or obscene about it but it does contain and imply some rather exotic sexual practices "enjoyed" by both straight and gay people alike. But in this case, by gay people. That may be a bridge too far for some but the quality of this work and the story line of this project more than justifies it. And it never seems out of balance or exploitative. See, again here, I don't want to give away why. You just have to see it for yourself and trust. It is well worth the journey.

An initial warning: there are explicit scenes of male nudity and overt gay sex interaction in the first chapter which may be shocking or disturbing to certain people. I have found them necessary to the plot and by any means with a pornographic intention as someone has suggested here. If you feel strongly against these scenes, perhaps you should skip them, but I would still advise to see the show. It would be a pity to miss such an extraordinary miniseries on behalf of some minutes of physical love between the male characters.

***

There are many ways of setting the table for a spy story. This does it in a quite unusual, anti-Guy Ritchie, anti-Mission Impossible way.

You enter London Spy not through a frenzied mosaic of espionage clues, not through a crazy car/plane/chopper persecution set in a fancy city, not through a climactic adrenaline first scene before the title sequence.

Instead, you will be guided by a "slow motion narrative" through a deeply intimate and loving gay relationship between two strangers. The enigma is rather in the brief emotional hints than in object clues until, in the last couple of minutes in the first episode, the knot is revealed and by then you are already convinced that you are watching something really different and impressive.

The cast and all the actors are simply perfect.

Ben Whishaw brings us a one-man festival in himself, what a talented actor and what a wonderful composition! I had never seen Edward Holcroft before but I have to say he makes a perfect Alex here, as tense and hermetic as vulnerable at the same time.

Plus a great, unreadable Jim Broadbent who disturbs and intrigues you from the first scene. And Charlotte Rampling with her habitual show of performative prowess and depth.

As a bonus, it upturns several stereotypes. First, the matter of homosexuality in a spy context. Second, the fact that such homosexuality is male, and presented as a stylized, highly intimate love story. Then, the kind of intelligence at work in the deductive unveiling of the truth, which is not the usual "cold, analytic, razor-blade precise wit" in the espionage movies. Instead, we see a man equipped with traditionally female cognitive resources: emotional intelligence, insight, keen observation, intuition... This came to me as a surprise. (Kudos to Ben Whishaw)

The show is running on the air as I write this, but so far it is an alluring, impressive series whose end, I hope, will not disappoint and live up to the wonderful expectations set up in the first episodes.

If you like layered movies or TV shows, much like 'tinker, tailor, etc', this might, no SHOULD be for you. There's no explosions to grip you, you have far more to mull over........beautiful script, acting and dialogue. Pick your moment when to watch this, try a chilled time when you'll concentrate, it wont do you wrong. There are some types of series/movies that belong in certain countries and no other country could do this type of series, in my opinion. I'm not slighting America by saying this as i believe it's the truth......watch this before American producers buy the rights and mangle it up and instead of a 5 or 6 episode series, it'll become 20. I'm not having a go at America it's just we do things different and i love the series like The Sopranos, 6 ft under, west wing etc or films like the Godfather etc......I'm just saying this might be deemed a tad slow.....but look into it, watch it and it'll be like reading a book, a good visual book x