35/21
Featured in Graham Norton and guests: Cher/Keira Knightley/Michael Fassbender/Josh Brolin/Jalen Ngonda (2024)
Helen embarks on a passionate affair with a man who has no idea what her secret identity is. Caught at gunpoint when her lover falls victim to London’s dangerous underworld, Helen’s employer calls in Sam to protect her. Bing, the owner of the guitar shop where Sam sources his weapons, is played by Rat Scabies, a member of the classic punk band The Damned..
My review – Black Doves Streaming on Netflix My rating
8.5/10 Think of those great British sentimental Christmas movies like Love Actually and Last Christmas, and Black Doves incredibly has a few of those holiday moments in its six dramatic episodes. I say incredibly because this British spy thriller has some very violent moments involving shootouts, executions and some very dark moments, however these scenes are almost comical or maybe like many of the ones I’ve become a little desensitized to violence on TV and in movies. Black Pigeons is skillfully directed by Alex Gabassi and Lisa Gunning and written by Joe Barton, stars Ben Whishaw, Keira Knightley and Sarah Lancashire, all in top form playing very dark characters with double lives who work together and independently to solve the murder of a prominent Chinese diplomat.
Reed is a real scene stealer in Black Pigeons as he sells secrets to the highest bidder, regardless of any citizen’s loyalty
Playing a very different role to anything I have seen him play before, Ben Whishaw plays Sam Young, a friend of Helen Webb played by Keira Knightley. These two oddly dressed assassins work for their ruthless boss Reed played by Sarah Lancashire in another great departure from their usual roles as police inspectors. Black Pigeons moves quickly with many interesting characters including Helen’s husband Wallace, an influential and ambitious politician who is unaware of his wife’s double life until the dramatic conclusion.
I suspect and hope we’ll see another season of Black Pigeons, it’s a quality production
Another supporting role I enjoyed was played by Kathryn Hunter as Lenny Lines, another ruthless assassin recruiter. As I mentioned earlier, I was surprised by some of the lighter touches of snow in the Christmas caroling and gift-giving scenes around the pine tree, which I thought added another dimension to what could have been a very dark series. No need to waste time scrolling endlessly — here’s the full lineup of new movies and TV shows streaming on Netflix this month.