In England in 1963, Nicholas Elliott works for MI6 but is left in turmoil when he learns his close friend and colleague Kim Philby had been secretly working as a double agent for the KGB and... Read allIn England in 1963, Nicholas Elliott works for MI6 but is left in turmoil when he learns his close friend and colleague Kim Philby had been secretly working as a double agent for the KGB and has defected to the Soviet Union.In England in 1963, Nicholas Elliott works for MI6 but is left in turmoil when he learns his close friend and colleague Kim Philby had been secretly working as a double agent for the KGB and has defected to the Soviet Union.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 win & 9 nominations total
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Written by Alexander Cary of Homeland fame, and also starring Damian Lewis of Homeland fame alongside Australia's own Guy Pearce, A Spy Amongst Friends tells the story of disgraced British double agent Kim Philly (Pearce) - by all accounts, one of the biggest intelligence coups of the Cold War, on either side - and his friendship with Nicholas Elliott (Brody, who is brilliant) and the defection of Philby to Russia. Elliott is being debriefed by British officials in the aftermath of that defection. This is one of those shows, similar to the early seasons of Homeland, where you need to pay very close attention to everything going on. A slow burn series, but a very good one.
'A Spy Amongst Friends' is a demanding dramatic production. It insists its audience vest close attention in both the key actors, and the rather complex plotline.
Set in the sixties era of the early cold war, it is a classic British spy drama.
For me, supported by an exceptional supporting cast, it is Anna Maxwell Martin who stands out as a performer. Her character, Lily Thomas, is delightfully situated. In her role, she delivers. Her character is positioned as an antithetical antagonist to the misogynist MI5 organisational culture. In a male dominated social space, entrenched by upper class British intellectuals, and peers of the realm, stupidity falls at the feet of the old boys club.
Lily Thomas is literally the cat amongst the pigeons, tasked to evaluate and assess a senior MI6 (SIS) spymaster. Noncompliant with the male network of trust and innately insular existential social hierarchy, she (Lily), cuts through the masculine dogma and gender obfuscation.
This is a fictional drama which uses mostly real world player's involved in a time of near collapse of the British secret services. It is very well written. Actors et al deliver a collective continuum of stella performances. This is not an action movie, but for the attentive, vested viewer it is exciting, compelling and highly rewarding.
Set in the sixties era of the early cold war, it is a classic British spy drama.
For me, supported by an exceptional supporting cast, it is Anna Maxwell Martin who stands out as a performer. Her character, Lily Thomas, is delightfully situated. In her role, she delivers. Her character is positioned as an antithetical antagonist to the misogynist MI5 organisational culture. In a male dominated social space, entrenched by upper class British intellectuals, and peers of the realm, stupidity falls at the feet of the old boys club.
Lily Thomas is literally the cat amongst the pigeons, tasked to evaluate and assess a senior MI6 (SIS) spymaster. Noncompliant with the male network of trust and innately insular existential social hierarchy, she (Lily), cuts through the masculine dogma and gender obfuscation.
This is a fictional drama which uses mostly real world player's involved in a time of near collapse of the British secret services. It is very well written. Actors et al deliver a collective continuum of stella performances. This is not an action movie, but for the attentive, vested viewer it is exciting, compelling and highly rewarding.
Based on the true story of a notorious British secret agent, watching A Spy Among Friends feels like a journey back in time to those classic '60s spy thrillers, with various plot threads that gradually weave into focus. Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce are excellent in their respective roles as conflicted old friends and Anna Maxwell Martin is superb as the sharp, dogged MI5 investigator trying to drill down to the truth. With locations including London, Beirut, Istanbul and Moscow, it takes a while to fathom what's going on. And it does a great job of exposing the smug superiority of the old boys' network that ruled MI6.
If you want a Mission Impossible style bang fest or a Bond style romp this isn't your thing. If you need a plot recap after every ad break you lack the concentration for this.
But if you want a drama that engages, immerses, and makes you think then this will do the job.
Some reviewers have said it's slow, drab, tedious, the constant changing between timelines is distracting and that Mrs Thomas is an anachronism.
I think they're missing the point.
This is only 20 years after WWII, 20 years after these events government offices looked little different. Anyone who was in the Civil Service during that period will know the details are accurate.
The tension and mistrust between CIA, the Security Service, and SIS that followed the war, Blake, Burgess, and McClean is abundantly clear and so to the extent this hampered both their efforts.
One must also remember that this was only 2 years after the Cuban Missile crisis and the suspicions of East about West and the efforts and paranoia of intelligence and counter intelligence operations is very apparent.
This drama is a mind game that reflects the way that Philby manipulated his friends and acquaintances over decades. The constant reviewing of events by those involved akin to the thoughts of a cuckolded husband as he tries to spot what he has missed. The sense of betrayal almost palpable.
The drabness, the politeness, the ordinariness in stark contrast to the fatal impact of Philby on those he betrayed.
Pearce is exceptional as the idealistic Philby and there is an almost physical change as the realisation of his decisions and the realism of living in the Soviet Bloc hit home.
If he had been born half a century earlier Lewis could have been Elliot in reality. I couldn't make up my mind if he was an exceptional actor, or not acting at all he was that convincing.
And as for Maxwell-Martin, yes, Mrs Thomas was made up. My interpretation was her character aptly contrasted with the old boys club of Philby and Elliot and was created for this purpose. If SIS and the Security Service had had more like Mrs Thomas to challenge the status quo then perhaps the Soviet moles might not have burrowed so far into the establishment.
So stick with it. I thought it well worth a few hours of my time.
But if you want a drama that engages, immerses, and makes you think then this will do the job.
Some reviewers have said it's slow, drab, tedious, the constant changing between timelines is distracting and that Mrs Thomas is an anachronism.
I think they're missing the point.
This is only 20 years after WWII, 20 years after these events government offices looked little different. Anyone who was in the Civil Service during that period will know the details are accurate.
The tension and mistrust between CIA, the Security Service, and SIS that followed the war, Blake, Burgess, and McClean is abundantly clear and so to the extent this hampered both their efforts.
One must also remember that this was only 2 years after the Cuban Missile crisis and the suspicions of East about West and the efforts and paranoia of intelligence and counter intelligence operations is very apparent.
This drama is a mind game that reflects the way that Philby manipulated his friends and acquaintances over decades. The constant reviewing of events by those involved akin to the thoughts of a cuckolded husband as he tries to spot what he has missed. The sense of betrayal almost palpable.
The drabness, the politeness, the ordinariness in stark contrast to the fatal impact of Philby on those he betrayed.
Pearce is exceptional as the idealistic Philby and there is an almost physical change as the realisation of his decisions and the realism of living in the Soviet Bloc hit home.
If he had been born half a century earlier Lewis could have been Elliot in reality. I couldn't make up my mind if he was an exceptional actor, or not acting at all he was that convincing.
And as for Maxwell-Martin, yes, Mrs Thomas was made up. My interpretation was her character aptly contrasted with the old boys club of Philby and Elliot and was created for this purpose. If SIS and the Security Service had had more like Mrs Thomas to challenge the status quo then perhaps the Soviet moles might not have burrowed so far into the establishment.
So stick with it. I thought it well worth a few hours of my time.
This must-see addition to the Cold War spy genre leans heavily on the visual and stylistic tropes established by the definitive 1979 BBC dramatisation of John Le Carre's 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'.
The lighting, settings, dialogue and pacing all pay homage to this classic series.
The production is absolutely sumptuous, with no expense spared. Beautiful photography, set decoration, locations and a legion of telephone boxes, pillar boxes and handily placed furniture vans (together with a cavalcade of vintage vehicles, archive footage and outstanding CGI matte shots) transform modern-day London and Bucharest into the Europe of the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
The narrative is often difficult to follow. Some streamlining and signposting of the plot would help. I watched all six episodes back-to-back and, at times, it felt like I was reassembling the shredded CIA files after the Fall of Saigon. One dark, wintery street, full of shuffling brown shapes, looks much like any other.
But the acting is top-notch. BAFTA-worthy performances from Anna Maxwell Martin, Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce, and the story really rewards those who stick with it. Plaudits for the original score too.
Heartily recommended, though, for multiple viewings, I'd opt for Alec Guinness every time.
The lighting, settings, dialogue and pacing all pay homage to this classic series.
The production is absolutely sumptuous, with no expense spared. Beautiful photography, set decoration, locations and a legion of telephone boxes, pillar boxes and handily placed furniture vans (together with a cavalcade of vintage vehicles, archive footage and outstanding CGI matte shots) transform modern-day London and Bucharest into the Europe of the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
The narrative is often difficult to follow. Some streamlining and signposting of the plot would help. I watched all six episodes back-to-back and, at times, it felt like I was reassembling the shredded CIA files after the Fall of Saigon. One dark, wintery street, full of shuffling brown shapes, looks much like any other.
But the acting is top-notch. BAFTA-worthy performances from Anna Maxwell Martin, Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce, and the story really rewards those who stick with it. Plaudits for the original score too.
Heartily recommended, though, for multiple viewings, I'd opt for Alec Guinness every time.
Did you know
- TriviaDominic West was originally cast to play Kim Philby, but had to withdraw from the project because of COVID delays and his ongoing commitment to The Crown (2016).
- GoofsThe series is unfair to James Jesus Angleton, largely portraying him as a rube, who is constantly discovered by British intelligence and is completely taken in by Philby, even after Philby's betrayal is revealed. In reality even Angleton's critics acknowledge that he was, for a long time, a brilliant agent, although one who ultimately became consumed by paranoia.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Шпигун серед друзів
- Filming locations
- Bucharest, Romania(Beirut, Moscow, Berlin, Vienna, Istanbul)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2:1
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