The Assassin

Love Keeley Hawes & Freddie Highmore in everything they've done, such talented actors. In this they are also fabulous but the script & some of the cast let them down. It went from a fun farce to what felt like a dated daytime soap opera. Not great & certainly not interesting enough to make me want to watch more than the 1st episode & that was painful.

Having consumed all six episodes of 'The Assassin' (2025) in a single viewing, I can confidently assert the reliability of my assessment. A common sentiment among lower-rated reviews suggests an expectation of a more somber tone, akin to 'Dept. Q,' perhaps with a touch of humor and tones of cursing/F-word. However, 'The Assassin' distinguishes itself from such comparisons, save for the presence of dry British humor, which may not resonate universally out of the UK. While I also totally enjoyed 'Dept. Q,' finding it comparable to 'Sherlock Holmes,' 'The Assassin' aligns more closely with the unserious nature of 'The Black Doves,' released during the Christmas season.

What's undeniable is that Keeley Hawes absolutely shines as a retired assassin obliged to get back into murky business, continually delivers compelling moments amidst a narrative that embraces its own absurdity. The series thus eschews seriousness in favor of an entertaining and unpredictable experience, balancing humorous dialogue and actions with intense action sequences; even if those sequences occasionally stretch the boundaries of the believability and the established rules of espionage/assassin thrillers. While Freddie Highmore's performance occasionally falters, particularly in portraying stronger reactions to early violence as he's still unfamiliar with lethal territory (I firmly believe he's still stuck in "The Good Doctor" phase - since he played the role for so long that he could've easily obtained an MD degree and even further pursued a PhD in medicine - that he should take the very much needed break to try to get out of the character), his dedication is certainly quite evident.

Ultimately, I recommend viewers approach 'The Assassin' with an open mind, appreciating it for its intended nature rather than preconceived expectations.

Part way through and still trying to decide if it is a spoof, black comedy or something else?

But the deal breaker for me is the perplexingly well regarded Freddie Highmore. Maybe I am in a minority of one, but I find him near unwatchable, others might be able to tell me what I am missing because, to mind, he can't act and has an intensely annoying manner about him?

I've just been chuckling at the inevitable poor reviews from Americans who just don't get it.

Y'all, it's a SATIRE of all those clichéd action films you Septics have inflicted on us for years now. It's hilarious that the basement dwellers are perfectly OK with Tim Cruise doing utterly impossible things in the Mission Impossible franchise but can't accept the ridiculousness of The Assassin. It's DELIBERATELY preposterous.

BTW, someone in the production is a fan of Tomb Raider. Keeley Hawes' outfit is in the same colours as Lara Croft, right down to the sunglasses. And she weilds two pistols in the opening scene. Coincidence? I think not.

Honestly, enjoy this for the fun that it is. Great to see Jack Davenport back on the screen as well.

We watched the first episode last night. Just baffled by the whole thing.

Is it supposed to be a comedy or is it supposed to be a serious action drama? We couldn't tell.

I hadn't read reviews here on IMDB before watching and have only just read through the 16 that are currently posted and was relieved to see that there are as many confused about it as we were.

Some seem to genuinely think it's supposed to be a comedy and that those not used to British humour just aren't getting it. We've watched loads of British tongue-in-cheek type series and The Assassin (so far) is't like anything we've seen out of the UK before. I'm not convinced.

Others think it is so bad that it is just coming across as being intended as a comedy. Again, not too sure.

We just think it's just not working.

What struck me after watching is that it SHOULD have been done as an obvious comedy but wasn't and it is so bizarre that it is coming across as a failed comedy.

I love Keeley Hawes and I have to say this isn't her fault. Maybe she didn't know how to play it.

It occurred to me that it needed someone with a Bruce Willis type sense of wry humour to play the role (keeping it as a female obviously). Maybe a John McClane type of character who finds himself in a serious situation but is wisecracking his (or her in this case) way through it. That might have worked. But not Keeley playing it absolutely straight and us wondering what it is supposed to be.

Can I add, too, that the scene with the sniper in episode 1 was just so ridiculous that it came across as almost funny. Funny without being funny or intended to be funny. A sniper tries to take out Keeley Hawes character. They can't of course, because otherwise there wouldn't be a series. Shot after shot misses the mark and I think with all the reloading we are talking maybe 30 bullets in all but just guessing. But the thing is this: bullets that miss Keeley don't just bounce off the ground or other obstacles; most of them seem to hit bystanders square in the heart and killing all of them. How can you not laugh at this sort of nonsense? How can writers expect audience to believe this is serious when this is the way something is written and so ludicrouse.

Confused? Well we certainly were.