A Spy Among Friends

Based upon the real life events of the Russian infiltration of the British security services from around the rise of Nazi Germany through to the early 1960s when the infiltration was exposed and 'agents' fled Britain.

This is not an action spy drama, it's a drama based upon intrigue and strategic thrust and parry - as such it's very successful and weaves a gripping tale. Just what exactly is going on? Whom can we trust? Is this opportunism or another move in the long game, or both...?

The three leads, Lewis, Martin & Pearce each offer nuanced performances that between them create and carry the bulk of the show's dramatic tension - and they each do a fine job of conveying a sense of the 'times they lived in' - times overshadowed by the cold war, memories of fascism and an horrendous world war, and of a looming new world struggling to shake off these attachments and mires of the old world.

The unfolding of the story is a little complicated, with frequent time shifts, which clarify and re-clarify understanding - so this is not a casual viewing show. It demands the audience pay full attention and think about and consider what they're witnessing. It all adds up to a very satisfying experience if you're prepared to invest the time - but mostly, you'll simply get sucked into the story and crave resolution.

On the production side, the world created is a very convincing one depicting, primarily, London in the 60s.

Superb!

If you want a Mission Impossible style bang fest or a Bond style romp this isn't your thing. If you need a plot recap after every ad break you lack the concentration for this.

But if you want a drama that engages, immerses, and makes you think then this will do the job.

Some reviewers have said it's slow, drab, tedious, the constant changing between timelines is distracting and that Mrs Thomas is an anachronism.

I think they're missing the point.

This is only 20 years after WWII, 20 years after these events government offices looked little different. Anyone who was in the Civil Service during that period will know the details are accurate.

The tension and mistrust between CIA, the Security Service, and SIS that followed the war, Blake, Burgess, and McClean is abundantly clear and so to the extent this hampered both their efforts.

One must also remember that this was only 2 years after the Cuban Missile crisis and the suspicions of East about West and the efforts and paranoia of intelligence and counter intelligence operations is very apparent.

This drama is a mind game that reflects the way that Philby manipulated his friends and acquaintances over decades. The constant reviewing of events by those involved akin to the thoughts of a cuckolded husband as he tries to spot what he has missed. The sense of betrayal almost palpable.

The drabness, the politeness, the ordinariness in stark contrast to the fatal impact of Philby on those he betrayed.

Pearce is exceptional as the idealistic Philby and there is an almost physical change as the realisation of his decisions and the realism of living in the Soviet Bloc hit home.

If he had been born half a century earlier Lewis could have been Elliot in reality. I couldn't make up my mind if he was an exceptional actor, or not acting at all he was that convincing.

And as for Maxwell-Martin, yes, Mrs Thomas was made up. My interpretation was her character aptly contrasted with the old boys club of Philby and Elliot and was created for this purpose. If SIS and the Security Service had had more like Mrs Thomas to challenge the status quo then perhaps the Soviet moles might not have burrowed so far into the establishment.

So stick with it. I thought it well worth a few hours of my time.

Written by Alexander Cary of Homeland fame, and also starring Damian Lewis of Homeland fame alongside Australia's own Guy Pearce, A Spy Amongst Friends tells the story of disgraced British double agent Kim Philly (Pearce) - by all accounts, one of the biggest intelligence coups of the Cold War, on either side - and his friendship with Nicholas Elliott (Brody, who is brilliant) and the defection of Philby to Russia. Elliott is being debriefed by British officials in the aftermath of that defection. This is one of those shows, similar to the early seasons of Homeland, where you need to pay very close attention to everything going on. A slow burn series, but a very good one.

This must-see addition to the Cold War spy genre leans heavily on the visual and stylistic tropes established by the definitive 1979 BBC dramatisation of John Le Carre's 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'.

The lighting, settings, dialogue and pacing all pay homage to this classic series.

The production is absolutely sumptuous, with no expense spared. Beautiful photography, set decoration, locations and a legion of telephone boxes, pillar boxes and handily placed furniture vans (together with a cavalcade of vintage vehicles, archive footage and outstanding CGI matte shots) transform modern-day London and Bucharest into the Europe of the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

The narrative is often difficult to follow. Some streamlining and signposting of the plot would help. I watched all six episodes back-to-back and, at times, it felt like I was reassembling the shredded CIA files after the Fall of Saigon. One dark, wintery street, full of shuffling brown shapes, looks much like any other.

But the acting is top-notch. BAFTA-worthy performances from Anna Maxwell Martin, Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce, and the story really rewards those who stick with it. Plaudits for the original score too.

Heartily recommended, though, for multiple viewings, I'd opt for Alec Guinness every time.

A movie about the world of spies, not a spy movie.

Captivating and dynamic to the end; even in crescendo.

The central character Nicholas Elliott is wonderful. He is "the spy among friends". The friends are everyone else: the defector Philby, the commoner Ann from MI5, the impetuous yankee Angelton, the arrogants Sir... "More involved than he looks", he is the real spy, with a vision. He puts things in order; everyone learns from him.

The film is not about Philby; but how do you make things move forward, how do you manage a crisis... in british style.

A film about the great world of British espionage, with the imperial spy Elliott.

P. S. It's in small spaces because it's not an action movie. And it's not "in darkness" but in the shadows. Because the focus falls on the characters, it's a battle of intelligences.