Ian Johnson

Eddie Redmayne convincing as the Jackal, Lashana Lynch unconvincing as an MI6 officer to the point that it makes me squirm. I’ve hung onto the first chapter because of Redmayne performance but I’m not sure if I can suspend my disbelief much longer with Lynch’s acting- not helped by the cliched tropes of a demanding boss and a neglected teenage daughter ( who looks as old as her). Addendum- tried watching more but gave up. I’ve had scarier telephone bills and more exciting parties from Greggs.

Although series two has some great actors and is generally well written it is not as good as series one. Also, it has become a bit like BBC Bite size for adults. I know everyone is on social media and iPhones nowadays but they can manage more than scenes of thirty seconds. The short scenes were very noticeable and, in the end, distracted from the fictive dream. The other thing that distracted from the fictive dream was the rubbish special effects. The North African desert looked like it had been constructed by 1930s Hollywood film makers. The thing that really grated though was the BBC attempt to ‘ educate’ the public about the Second World War. It was patronising. We the viewers know it wasn’t fought entirely by white Christian and we know racism was rife across the world, never mind Germany, but the BBC laid it on like too much jam on a jam butty. Thankfully, the Robina character played artfully by Lesley Manville is a wonderful antidote to all the jam with her sardonic put downs. She’s not likeable but her use of language is brilliant. I liked the series enough to watch another series of it comes but let’s hope they don’t film the desert in Southport or use air fix models for planes.

Well, I’m nearly an hour in and I’m wondering when this film is actually going to get going. So, ok, the usual story telling devices are in there: the goal and the hurdles to that goal, the personal conflicts - but they are all as exciting as a wet rag. The film has got real historical characters like Churchill and Ian Fleming in there but they seem flat and pointless. And I think there’s supposed to be a growing love affair between the protagonist and his assistant but I’ve witnessed more sexual tension between my two goldfish. Fool the Germans? The plot seems to be making a fool of the cast.