disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

SLOW HORSES -- A Different Kind of British Espionage Thriller

3/31/2022

0 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden in “Slow Horses,” premiering globally April 1, 2022 on Apple TV+.
British espionage thrillers are traditionally one of the most stoic and refined genres, and so it is nice to see one that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The Apple TV+ series Slow Horses doesn’t have the most unpredictable plot, but a great cast and a novel approach make this an entertaining watch.

The series follows a group of MI5 agents who were rejected from the main ranks of the service and relegated to the sidelines in the hopes that they would just quit as they get wrapped up in a conspiracy that is bigger than anything they have ever worked before. Mick Herron’s novel, upon which the show is based, was released back in 2010, when this would have been a timelier spoof of a genre that was still at its peak. 

However, in its lean six-episode run, writer Will Smith (who worked with satirist filmmaker Armando Iannucci on The Thick of It) has managed to spin a web that explores more about bureaucracy than anything in recent memory. And there is plenty of potential for this to be explored even further in future entries.

The comedy of the series is very subtle, and unlike some of Smith’s other work, probably won’t leave you rolling. But it has an acerbic wit to it that makes the satire even punchier. The tone, combined with the action that is surprisingly good for a project that crosses genres, makes up for the genericism in the plot itself.
Picture
Jack Lowden, Christopher Chung, Olivia Cooke and Paul Higgins in “Slow Horses,” premiering globally April 1, 2022 on Apple TV+.
Granted, the series does peak early with its action. The first scene of the first episode is the most memorable of the season, setting the bar so unreasonably high that the rest of the show doesn’t quite reach it. But the climactic action sequence does pay off quite well, bringing everything about the show’s mood together quite well.

Although the band of misfits that makes up the eponymous group is a bit on the archetypal side, they are certainly very endearing and lovable. It’s a group dynamic that is developed quickly and easy to buy into, especially if you’ve ever found comfort with other people who have been just as rejected as you.

Jack Lowden finally gets to be a leading man, and he shows here that he has the chops to be the next big action hero. Hopefully he will continue to get substantial roles like this and not be relegated to B-movie hell like so many are after they first show their worth. Gary Oldman is also great here, doing something very different than usual, even if his role isn’t as hefty as one would like.

Slow Horses is going to be a sleeper hit for Apple TV+. It’s an intelligent, well-acted, and perhaps most importantly, entertaining entry into a genre that all too often feels inaccessible in its approach.

Slow Horses streams on Apple TV+ beginning April 1, with new episodes streaming subsequent Fridays. All six episodes reviewed.

​Rating: 4/5
               
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About