Black Doves

I was set to jot down a few words about "Black Doves", the Netflix spy thriller starring Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, and Sarah Lancashire, three actors I adore, when a conversation with a friend helped crystallize my thoughts (and subsequently cannibalize his). He described it as "fun and entertaining, but the emotional, realistic aspects of the story didn't work harmoniously with the unrealistic action," and that's a perfect summary. I may have enjoyed it a bit more than he did, but there's no denying the tonal discord. It probably would have played better back in December when it dropped, given its Christmas setting. That said, it was worth it by the end when comic goddess and legend, Tracey Ullman, appears as the villain, looking and sounding divine.

One of my chief, and constant, criticisms of so many films now, is the lack of solid and consistent scripts, AND marred by horrible musical tracks and pathetic sound mixing. So I start this by saying that it was a real pleasure to discover a whole SERIES with no glitches or distractions in sound. As for the script and plot, as one reviewer here put it: "Ok if you don't think too hard. Good acting. Lazy writing. Plot holes you can drive a truck through." I wold add- high marks for the humor built in and subtlety of some great lines such as: "Sorry" as the store-clerk is knocked out with drugs. Very fine acting and production throughout, but too many holes and dead spots to carry the overall. Would love to see a continuation with more talented scripting.

Black Doves ended up being a very solid spy thriller. I'm a big fan of this genre so went into this with high hopes even though I was skeptical of Keira Knightley playing a bad a$$ seeing she only weighs 100lbs soaking wet. I was wrong, she killed it. Same goes for Ben Whishaw, who also looks like he's 100lbs. Both of them were totally believable in their roles. I had a blast watching this and binged all 6 episodes over the weekend. I was addicted once I started watching it. I'm glad they plan on doing a second season because one is not enough. I want to see more of these characters and the world they built here.

Black Doves is an entertaining spy thriller that delivers plenty of style and intrigue, even if it doesn't quite hit the mark or reach its full potential. It's great to see Keira Knightley take on something different, stepping outside her usual characters, and she brings charisma and edge to the role. The series has some genuinely funny moments and a sleek, polished look, but it does ask you to suspend disbelief, a lot, sometimes too much.

The conveniently empty London streets and mass shootouts stretch credibility to breaking point, making it hard to take seriously at times. But if you're after a bit of silly, stylish entertainment with a strong lead performance and some gripping sequences, Black Doves does the job just fine.

It's a strange mix of quality. I don't need a genre to stick to one thing, so the tonal variety doesn't bother me-but the execution? That's another story. The camera work and acting? Top-notch. The set design and writing? Not so much. Okay, maybe not *terrible*, but definitely weak. The vibe I got was: "People are dumb; they won't question this."

They'll imply a bomb with some visual cliché or stage a massive public murder, and-surprise!-no cops show up. Just our sly sleuth protagonist poking around for clues like it's a murder mystery brunch. It's the kind of lazy stuff that makes a pedant want to cry.

That said, if you can shush the little voice in your head whispering, "That's not how the world works," you might actually enjoy yourself.