The Agency: Central Intelligence

The Agency: Central Intelligence is a must watch for anyone a fan of spy thrillers. First of all, the cast is absolutely amazing. It stars Michael Fassbender, Jeffery Wright, Richard Gere and Katherine Waterston. That cast right there is reason enough to five this a try and on top of that it's a really good show too. I won't be surprised to see this show and most of the cast nominated for some awards come award season. The series is about a covert CIA agent (Fassbender) who is ordered to leave his undercover life and return to the field with his ex lover (Waterston) who he's still in love with. His love for her starts to interfere with his real life and the mission. If you're a fan of spy thrillers or a good mystery series then give this a try. You won't be disappointed.

In an era where many quality series seem to be lost in the streaming void-blinded by our own questionable viewing habits-The Agency stands out as a stylish, under-the-radar gem. The series is as strongly acted as it is elegantly shot, building tension at a deliberately measured pace before unleashing it with a cinematic bang.

This is a spy thriller that doesn't just rely on flashy gadgetry and overblown plot twists. Its narrative demands your full attention, weaving together coherent yet unpredictable turns that even manage to keep pace with the relentless churn of modern politics. Michael Fassbender is, as always, a tour de force, effortlessly anchoring the narrative, while the rest of the cast delivers performances that shine from the opening scene to the final credit roll. And yes-Richard Gere proves even Hollywood's golden oldies can still steal the spotlight.

However, not all is smooth espionage. The screenplay occasionally appears to be juggling on too many storylines, with the "Teheran" arc feeling like an unnecessary detour that could have been trimmed without sacrificing the overall impact. Despite this minor misstep, The Agency remains a high-caliber piece of entertainment that challenges its viewers and merits attention well beyond the confines of the Netflix bubble (and I'm glad that it has earned a lot of viewers!)

Don't believe the reviews that claim this is masterpiece nor those that claim this is bad. This is thoroughly engaging drama that meanders into the psychological stresses of being an agent more often than not. If you are looking for shoot 'em ups, you're on the wrong train. There is action mind you but that is second to storyline which is as it should be. This is more along the lines of Tinker Taylor rather than James Bond. If that is your cup of tea you will enjoy it.

As others have said the cast is quite good with nary a weak link. There are some traditional tropes throughout relating to the spy game and its role in international intrigue but you can't have it all.

I have not seen the original to compare. However, knowing it was a remake of a French original I approached this with some trepidation as US remakes are usually pretty poor on the whole.

This though I was pleasantly surprised by. It offers something different to the usual spy thrillers focusing more on relationships to agents, colleagues, and loved ones that are often not touched on or rarely developed. Whilst this could still go further than it does those elements are just as important to the story as the main plot line. It's that plot line that is the slow burn as it takes it time to unfold but it is refreshing in a US remake that there is no reliance on action sequences. Action sequences are few and far between and only introduced when necessary. Instead we get a greater focus on the who what and why of the of the various plots and sub plots.

I found it compelling, with Michael Fassbender as Martian/Paul excellent in the main role ably supported by an excellent cast.

There is one thread throughout that seems to have little relevance to everything else that is going on but I suspect it is there because it will become much more important in subsequent series. However, it appears as a little padding to this series, although it is an interesting and watchable side plot. That and the slow burn stop it from becoming a 10/10 series but overall it is well with the watch.

A well-made series where Richard Gere and Michael Fassbender are wasted on it and play at 40-55 percent of their abilities and instead of the latter, though playing nicely and convincingly good, I would have liked to see Richard Armitage in his place and rank. The Russian and Ukrainian situations and visuals are mostly good as well as are the scenes with Sami Zahir and Danny.

A little suspension of disbelief here and there and you got yourself ten convincing episodes of high value targets drama.

Please bear in mind that it's mostly done right without stellar realism that are impossible to reach at a fictional level without making fuss, creating conflicts and deteriorating the storylines' plots.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 7.5
• Production value/impact: 7
• Development: 8
• Realism: 7
• Entertainment: 8
• Acting: 8
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 8.5
• VFX: 8.5
• Music/score/sound: 7
• Depth: 7
• Logic: 6.5
• Flow: 7.5
• Political/Drama/thriller/psychology/sp i: 7
• Ending: 7.