cassandra2006 Review of Spies of Warsaw

Spies of Warsaw (2013)

The only Tennant vehicle that has ever disappointed me

[4/10 · 6 September 2013]

I will and do watch anything with David Tennant in it as IMO he is an exceptionally gifted performer but, from the off, this telemovie bored me witless. I didn't buy most of the tension and, with few exceptions, the performances were largely uninspiring. The writing rarely grabbed me and, visually, the timing of suspenseful scenes was often poorly judged. But my main gripe was that the direction, cinematography and editing were all IMO so remorselessly pedestrian. In addition, the lead actress - who we are meant to accept as the 'romantic interest' - appeared to be not just uninvolved with her lover but I personally doubted she was even a serious actress within the meaning of the Act! I gather she has won deserved success in other projects that I haven't seen, but in 'Spies'? Not for this viewer. Tennant looks, sounds and is lovely and could not act badly if he tried conscientiously for a year but, really, even his illustrious talent and legendary energy could not save his character for me in this movie. Especially not when he's obliged to wear some of the silliest military uniforms you could find outside of a Gilbert and Sullivan opera. Possibly the window of opportunity to create incisive TV drama about mid 20thC spy stories has slammed shut for the time being. I bought the DVD and have watched it just once and won't do so again. Probably.