Review by southdavid

I've seen the Michael Caine movie a few times, but not for a while and had only a vague recollection as to what its actually about. My thoughts are that there was much in this new ITV adaptation that I didn't recognise at all - though cursory research suggests that this is because a number of subplots and other stories were added to increase the running time.

In the 1960's, a British scientist is kidnapped by Eastern Bloc forces for his expertise in Nuclear weapon technology. Major Dalby (Tom Hollander) recruits a disgraced but resourceful former solider, Harry Palmer (Joe Cole) to utilise his contacts in East Berlin to retrieve the target. The relatively simple recovery operation quickly expands as Palmer and his partner Jean Courtney (Lucy Boynton) try to discover who, from their allies and their opponents, they can actually trust.

I thought that this version of the story was fine. I liked the 60's recreation and I liked how that same aesthetic was used for the show - in the credits sequence, for example. I liked the performances. It's quite a mannered performance from all involved, stiff upper lips of the sort of class of people involved in international espionage. I've seen other people be critical of Joe Cole, but I think this suits his natural cadence and accent more than say "Gangs of London" does.

I occasionally found the story a little difficult to stick with, I'm still confused as to the actual motivations of Paul Maddox, played by Ashley Thomas. Though it's not a particularly confusing plot, just that there is a lot of double and triple crosses to stick with as the story plays out. Pacing wise I could have done without some aspects of the Bikini Atoll section of the story, though I understand that it was required to get Palmer into a vulnerable location.

I didn't love it unconditionally; it meanders a bit too much for my taste, but it was no chore to get through.