Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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84 of 88 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Transcending the glitz, August 13, 2004
There've been some uncommonly intelligent spy films produced by British television: TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY and SMILEY'S PEOPLE (both starring Sir Alec Guinness as the owlish George Smiley), and THE SANDBAGGERS miniseries. In all three, the agency involved is Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service (MI-6). The operatives are a tweedy lot, and the headquarters, either at the old "Circus" or the more modern Century House, are, like the remains of Empire, comfortably shabby. Thus, it was with some misgivings that I began MI-5, the ongoing glitzy miniseries featuring the SIS's less glamorous sister also known as the Security Service, which like America's FBI, deals with domestic intelligence, anti-subversion and counter-terrorism. The glitz is of Hollywood proportions - almost, for me, an instant turn-off. I'm glad I stuck with it.
The lead "spook" is Tom Quinn, played by Matthew MacFadyen. He runs an undercover operations team, the most prominent members of which are Zoe Reynolds (Keeley Hawes) and Danny Hunter (David Oyelowo). The interior of MI-5's London HQ, Thames House, is ultramodern and high tech; the CIA probably never had it so good. Tom's boss is the hardboiled and sphinx-like Harry Pearce, played by Peter Firth.
Admittedly, I didn't become engaged until episodes three and four, when I realized that the intricate scripts, fast-paced and tautly presented, transcended the glitz. I'm now hooked, and eagerly await the DVD release of the Season 2 episodes in late 2004. My only remaining complaint is the too clever lead-in to each episode which requires excessive button-pushing on the remote to navigate. I mean, just get on with it. Prince Charles will become King in a shorter time.
The storylines are contemporary: embassy take-overs by militant nationalists, insidious plots by Arab terrorists, illegal arms deals by enterprising Russians involving Whitehall cabinet officers, and the occasional appearance of IRA bombers. Gone are the good old days of KGB machinations on behalf of the Evil Empire. The episodes are slickly written with surprising plot twists. And MI-6 across the river maintains a scheming and patronizing presence.
Part of the show's attraction is that it doesn't paint its MI-5 heroes as perfect. They have relationship problems; they embezzle money from the Service; and perhaps have dark secrets in the past that invite blackmail during intra-office power struggles. Why, it sounds like any company I've ever worked for!
The end of the last episode in Series 1 is one of the best I've ever seen. It'll make you think twice before installing that elaborate security system on your house, or at least make you aware of the dangers posed by a small child when catalyzed by chocolate icing.
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A shaky pilot gives way to excellent acting and intriguing stories., August 14, 2005
When I played the first episode of MI-5, Volume 1, my heart sank farther and farther over the course of the next hour. The cinematography was weirdly cheery, the villains were completely without menace, and the main characters were confusing, vaguely characterized, and seem a little too young for the genre of the show. After this episode, I was already thinking about how much I'd fetch when I send this DVD set to a second-hand bin.
But as Episode 2 rolled along, it's like the show woke up from slumber and began to gallop.
The comparisons to 24 are a little convenient -- two espionage shows on two sides of the Atlantic, both surfacing around the crucial year of 2001? But if you go into MI-5 expecting the ferocious action, ruthless characters, endless treacheries and gritty camera work of 24, you'd probably be a little disappointed. MI-5 doesn't quite have the gut punch of 24 -- few shows do -- but what it does have is a very good cast, unusual plotting, a quirky sense of humour, and an eye for detail for the minutiae of life in espionage. Also, because it's not bound to the real-time and L.A.-centric conceits of 24, MI-5 is actually broader in scope, dealing with Irish terrorists, Islam, race-motivated hate crimes, and European anarchists all within the first six episodes collected here.
While I was initially skeptical of how babyfaced the actors looked, they prove to be very fine performers. According to the supplementary materials on the DVDs, half of the members of MI-5 in real life are under the age of 40, so in that respect, the casting would make sense. Matthew MacFadyen, despite his soft eyes and boyish good looks, can deliver intensity and resilience which convince us he could really be the second-in-command of this section of MI-5, Keeley Hawes drips with doe-eyed beauty and great comic timing, and David Oyelowo mixes mischief and determination nicely. The crowning member of the cast is Peter Firth as Harry Pearce, the inscrutable leader of the group; he conveys both the steely core of the character and the humanity.
I can't fathom why the pilot, with its weak, incoherent plot involving an anti-abortion terrorist with no sense of menace, was so unengaging. But aside from this one dud, the other five episodes are in fine, engaging form. MI-5 has its share of nail-biting scenes, the most powerful of which is the infamous Episode 2 ending, which was so harrowingly intense that it probably trumps any shock scene ever delivered by 24 -- no small feat indeed. After that it's a fabulous ride, culminating in an Episode Six with a thrillingly broad scope, brisk pacing, and another very satisfying suspense sequence as the final course. And throughout the episodes, the writers keep a keen eye towards the fascinating details of life as a "spook", an added layer of fascination which gives the show a unique character and brings us closer to what it's like being an MI-5 agent.
Aside from the unsatisfying pilot, there are just a few minor gripes: The DVD design went nuts trying to be creative, but ends up with a design that's awkward to navigate as well as buggy -- several buttons on the menu froze up my DVD player, and none of the main-menu items are marked. Please, next time, don't sacrifice convenient access for style. They made a great effort to include lots of bonus materials, but the cast/crew interviews are shallow and sluggish in pace (more editing please), making all the actors seem sleepy and unfocused. And since this set is only six episodes long, the overall arc of the episodes will seem a lot less satisfying than a full-on season. However, these shows remain a great introduction to a show that carries all the thrills of the espionage genre, while giving it a unique spin.
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69 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smart. Edgy. Slick. British., August 8, 2004
MI-5 is first-rate. The script writing is crisp, clean, and edgy. The characters are, as you might expect from the British, understated, cool, and witty.
The characters are engaging and the viewer is slowly drawn into their personal dramas. The last scene of the first season is an emotional cliff-hanger. I have been reliving that scene for more than week - can't get it out of my mind. Can't shake the riveting drama of it all.
The plots are good. For a believer, there is a good bit of anti-Christian sentiment which is difficult. But Britain itself is rather like that these days- a bit cynical, jaded, and even sardonic. But at the bottom of it all, there is love, faith, and a resilient optimism which rebounds the soul, if not the spirit.
There is excellent balance between dramatic tension and action/adventure. This is not pretty-blonde-on-the-arm James Bond stuff. This show has an edge of steel.
All in all, very edgy and sophisticated.
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