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MI-5 (Spooks: The Greater Good) is a stylish, albeit rather perfunctory, adaptation of a spy thriller perhaps best left on the small screen.
All Critics (39) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (15)
There's a surplus of double-dealings, plot twists and international locales to justify the theatrical treatment.
A film that, like most of its ilk these days, is more interested in action than motivation.
Led by the honorably dour Firth and the charisma-free Harington, MI-5 is convoluted and dull ...
"Undone by sentimentality," grumbles a senior secret agent in "Spooks: The Greater Good," having been foiled when a long-favored rendezvous location proves a trap. He might as well be talking about the film itself.
Here's a thriller involving a huge amount of talking, sprinting and fighting and more sprinting.
Even if the film can't match Hollywood for spectacle, there's a sobering sense of the painful sacrifices facing those who toil to keep us safe from harm.
This is James Bond done by Channel 5, with all the tension and sophistication of the Victoria Beckham kidnap plot.
Making the transition from long-arc TV series to 100-minute feature film is no simple matter, but they've accomplished it with some skill here.
Dreary thriller about British spook.
There's a lot to commend in Spooks: The Greater Good, but at the end of the day it offers nothing new to the genre and it's big-screen adaptation just needed to be more daring and step out of the confines of television.
Ultimately, it's Firth's film, and he ensures it's never less than thoroughly watchable.
Can an enduring, hardy British television show make it on the big screen?
As most movies based on television series goes, MI-5 is probably better fitted for viewers of the series. I've never seen an episode of MI-5, but I've seen my fair share of spy-action-thrillers, and this one is about as middle of the road as you can get. There isn't anything special about this movie, but there's also nothing blatantly wrong with it either. Set a few years after the end of the series' run, MI-5 picks up as Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) is still the head of section D at MI-5. But when he realizes that someone inside of his team has aided a wanted international terrorist in his escape and he himself is suspected, he decides to take matters into his own hands and recruits one of his former guys, Kit Harrington into proving his innocence. Again, there's nothing really here that's all that original, but if you're looking for a fun little action film to take your mind away from normal life, MI-5 might be one for you. Harrington his very likable, as he always has been. His character here is pretty much Jon Snow in the modern world, but his talent is undeniable. This is especially clear when he's alongside costar, Peter Firth playing Harry, because that's not a particularly likable character. In fact, for most of the film I found myself rooting against him. Which brings up my major issue with the film, the endless plot twists and double crosses. There comes a point in the film when there's been so many different plot changes and reveals that the story becomes irrelevant. The film becomes to reliant on keeping you guessing the next turn, that it forgets to tell its own story. It's nice to see Kit Harrington get a starring role, and even see David Harewood in a feature film, but there's not a whole lot separating this film from anything else we have seen. Perhaps a bigger budget, more rounded villain, and a less convoluted script would make for a better viewing experience. 6.2/10
Super Reviewer
A mindless feature length of the great TV series. If you are looking for a less stylish Bond or Mission Impossible blow up then this is the film for you!
Based on the British television series Spooks, MI-5 is an action-packed espionage thriller. When a terrorist escapes while being transferred, counter-terrorist chief Harry Pearce suspects that there's a trader inside MI-5 and goes rogue in order to find them out, and with no one to trust he's forced to seek the help of a burned spy. The politics are kind of hard to follow between MI-5 and the CIA, but the basics boil down to a standard mole hunt. Kit Harington gives a strong performance and the storytelling does a good job at creating suspense and mystery, along with delivering some interesting twists. Entertaining and full of thrills, MI-5 is an exciting action film.
I have never seen the TV series but I enjoyed this espionage thriller. It may not have the Hollywood action you may be expecting but it makes up for in sheer grit and suspense.
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