'You either step into the abyss or step back from it; you cannot walk along its edge for long.'

gradyharp

BBC has done it again – created a five part miniseries that is a well written, well directed, well photographed, well lighted and exquisitely acted cinematic exploration of a relationship drama refracted through the prism of the spy genre. Written by Tom Rob Smith and directed with great sensitivity by Jakob Verbruggen, this story takes chances on so many levels – the main characters are gay, there is a very sensual depiction of a gay sexual experience, the secret societies of all nations are involved in this tale of espionage, and the story is as much about a mystery as it is about a love relationship that is abruptly cut short, leaving many questions unanswered, and allowing the audience to feel the degrees of grief and conundrum that sudden loss of a loved one brings.

It is interesting how various synopses of this miniseries are interpreted: 'This is the story of a chance romance between two people from very different worlds, one from the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service, the other from a world of clubbing and youthful excess.' And the better one, 'What begins as a chance romance between two people from opposite walks of life - one an antisocial investment banker Alex (Edward Holcroft) the other a slacker romantic Danny (Ben Whishaw) quickly unravels when the reclusive banker disappears under suspicious circumstances, exposing his real identity as a spy and forcing his lover down a dark path to reveal the truth.' What these synopses fail to explain is the complexity of the relationship between Danny and Alex, the dependency of Danny on the advice of his only friend Scottie (Jim Broadbent) who recalls the old days in England when being gay was a crime, Danny's discovery of SMBD equipment in Alex's attic where Alex is discovered dead in a trunk, the clues that lead to the police (Samantha Spiro), Alex's strange mother Frances (Charlotte Rampling), a past shared encounter with an escort (Riccardo Scamarcio), and on and on.

To offer more would be spoiling the story – which is very convoluted at times. The first four episodes are brilliant, but things fall apart a bit in the final episode. Bt that does not hamper the brilliance of this excellent miniseries. All of the actors are excellent, but Ben Whishaw continues to demonstrate that he is one of the fines actors on the screen today. Very Highly Recommended

score 10/10

gradyharp 30 April 2016

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3460765/