The Little Drummer Girl

There are some sublime moments in this six part series, an adaptation of the John le Carré novel directed by Park Chan-wook. None are finer than the scene with the shadows on the ancient buildings at the top of the Acropolis in Athens, but I have to say, Florence Pugh getting rubbed down on the beach or playing acoustic guitar and singing the folk song "Murder of Maria Marten" come pretty damn close. My goodness, she's fantastic here. Watching her act as someone acting as a Palestinian sympathizer to infiltrate their ranks is mesmerizing, and she fully inhabits her character.

There is real tension as this story plays out, with the Israeli Mossad agents (led by Michael Shannon and Alexander Skarsgård) trying to track down a smart bomber (Charif Ghattas) and the organization which also includes his siblings (Lubna Azabal and Amir Khoury). As the Palestinians use young women who have been groomed to plant the bombs, the Israelis try to use the same playbook and implant a young woman (Pugh) amongst them.

The series is a little slow moving and it was probably guilty of being elongated, exacerbated by a couple of the early episodes feeling too talky. It's biggest issue, however, is in how improbable the story is, and its central premise was one I could never truly buy into. As early as episode two we can see why the Israelis have chosen the young woman, but it's certainly not clear why she would choose to go along with it, especially considering her progressive, pro-Palestinian views. To accept incredible danger and put up with a creepy backstory in the process did not at all seem plausible. By episode four we finally see her questioning it all, something that should have happened much earlier, but to have the reason be an attraction to the Israeli agent was unconvincing. It was also a little annoying when she later developed feelings for one of the Palestinians, which felt like tawdry melodrama by the author. There are other elements which didn't ring true, such as why the youngest Palestinian brother would have given up the information as he did, but the whopper is the entire arc of Pugh's character.

I also wondered if the film had a balanced view of the two sides in this struggle, seeing as how the Israeli protagonists are cleverly hunting down Palestinian terrorists, even if the latter are humanized and some of the Israeli atrocities are expressed through anecdotes. It's a mixed bag on that front, and let's just say, felt awfully tidy at the end. There were some really nice bits though, including the noxious anti-Semitism in the British Intelligence officer, and a fantastic dream sequence of the Israeli agent shaking hands with the Palestinian and the latter bursting into flames, saying 'Al Nakba' ("The Catastrophe," referring to what happened in 1948). Overall, worth watching for the production value, and Florence Pugh.

One needs to pay very careful attention from line one of this show to prevent getting lost. Once you get it, watching it play out is easier. You can't allow for distraction. Although some claim it's laboriously slow, it adds to the suspense. Characters are droll and lack animation, but it works. This series makes you use your imagination & tenacity. I enjoy the character interplay & putting the puzzle pieces together only to find they are in the wrong place. NO Hollywood bang-bang, shooting up buildings & wrecking dozens of cars. I love (so far) the lack of romantic interplay, that's a bonus. I wouldn't Charlie to be a hottie. She's a naive small time actress going nowhere fast, throwing in rebellion for attention. She's fascinated & intrigued by (the older) Gadi, a very believable situation in the 70s. I love her performance. This series is truly worth the try. Some things don't ring true, such as describing distance in miles rather than kilometers. Also a runner in the background in (I believe) Munich who is wearing modern day running clothes.

I read the book and saw the Diane Keaton film about100 years ago, so I can't vouch for the fidelity of this TV series to the novel. And, while I don't remember much about the film, I did look at its trailer on Amazon.com. Keaton's done some fine work, but, based on the trailer, her performance in the movie was over-the-top-and-down-the-other-side.

Some reviewers on this site have complained that this production was boring - like watching paint dry. Well, that's LeCarre. I'm not talking film adaptations, since a two hour adaptation has to compress a lot of activity into a short time. "The Little Drummer Girl," in six parts, every bit the equal of the Alec Guinness/Ian Richardson production of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy." Nuanced, thoughtful, well acted.

I recently saw Florence Pugh in "Outlaw King," about Robert the Bruce. It was a small part, and she did not have much of a chance to shine. But as Charly, she proved herself a fine actress. And, while all of the rest of the cast was good, Michael Shannon gave a wonderfully shaded performance, quite unlike in "The Shape of Water."

LeCarre rarely writes any character as a hero. These are complex characters who deserve a viewer's patience, which will be rewarded throughout.

This six part adaptation of John Le Carré's novel of the same title opens in late 1970s West Germany as a bomb explodes in the home of an Israeli diplomat. The Israeli secret service are determined to put a stop to the attacks, which they believe are being orchestrated by a particular Palestinian terrorist. To this end a small team works to identify somebody they can put undercover in the terrorist's organisation. They select Charlie Ross, an English actress with radical left-wing associations. She is approached and ultimately recruited but can they trust her not to side with the terrorists she is meant to be infiltrating when even she doesn't know which side she will back in the end.

People expecting the style of the recent BBC adaption of 'The Night Manager' might be a little disappointed but anybody wanting a gripping drama that really captures the feel of the era should love this. South Korean Director Park Chan-wook, best known fairly extreme films like 'Oldboy' and 'Sympathy for Mister Vengeance', shows he can do restraint as we are gradually introduced to the protagonists and watch Charlie being recruited; this is not a rapid procedure. The deeper she gets the more the tension rises; approaching the final episode I had no idea how it would end for Charlie. The cast is good; especially Florence Pugh who excels as Charlie. Overall I'd say this series is well worth the effort; I really enjoyed it.

It's a convoluted John le Carré spy drama set in 1979 in England, Germany, Lebanon, and Israel. It follows a Mossad supervisor, Martin Kurtz (Michael Shannon), and his agents who are trying to catch a Palestinian master bomb-maker, Khalil (Charif Ghattas). Other team members are Gadi Becker/Joseph (Alexander Skarsgard), Shimon Litvak (Michael Moshonov), Rachel (Simona Brown), and Rose (Kate Sumpter). They co-opt a radical young English actress, Charlie Ross (Florence Pugh), into their plot.

First, the Israeli team pursues Khalil's younger brother, Michel/Salim (Amir Khoury). They set up a complex ruse after capturing Michel, having Charlie pose as Michel's lover in hopes of infiltrating the terrorist organization. In true John le Carré fashion, the story includes considerable ethical ambiguity and questions about everyone's motives and ultimate loyalties.

This mini-series is far superior to the 1984 movie that stars Diane Keaton. The mini-series is much more nuanced, and Florence Pugh is more age-appropriate for Charlie's role. Michael Shannon is also a superior Martin Kurtz character. The mini-series also allowed the development of some key characters like Khalil's sister, Fatmeh (Lubna Azabal). The mini-series does take some liberties that deviate from the book, including a sanitized ending. The 1984 film was more accurate on that score.

I think John le Carré would have approved this series.