Spooks: The Greater Good

Action is a genre that hinges solely on entertainment value. Even if it's a blatantly dumb plot and objectively not that great, something like Machete or Bullet to the Head, you can still have fun watching it and appreciate it for its pure insanity. MI-5 lies on the opposite side of the action spectrum. It tries to be serious and dark and much smarter than it actually is. This sucks the atmosphere dry and leaves you with a bland, brooding, and tasteless thriller with little to no thrills.

The movie starts off with a criminal escort gone wrong and develops into an espionage mission that can only be done by a specific agent who was kicked off the force, Will Holloway played by Kit Harrington. I can't fault any of the actors here because these characters are paper thin. They're just either giving orders or receiving orders or having secrets meetings or reciting some other form of lifeless expository dialogue for a majority of the movie. There's no chemistry between anyone, they have no development whatsoever. It just doesn't look like anyone is having fun. And with a script like that, how can you blame them.

There is a sleek, glossy feel about MI-5, which is one of the few positive things about it. Kit Harrington is a badass in general and it's nice to see him in a modern action setting. Unfortunately, the action in this movie is so scarce and underwhelming, it's hard to even call it an action movie. Instead of exciting action sequences, we're left with cliché double-crosses and triple-crosses and back stabs that no one cares about because none of the characters are engaging in the first place.

MI-5 is kind of like background music. It's not gripping and won't get your adrenaline pumping, but it's quite harmless to have on. It's just completely run-of-the-mill, linear storytelling that takes a page out of every spy book and streamlines it all into a two hour film. Kit Harrington can certainly be an action star, but this is not the proper vehicle to showcase his talents. MI-5 is a miss.

When I was buying my ticket to "MI-5" (R, 1:44), the cashier asked me if I knew that this movie was not "Mission: Impossible 5". I said that I did, and we briefly spoke about the confusion caused by the title of the movie that I was about to see. As if on cue, as I walked away, I heard the woman who had just come to the box office request a ticket for "Mission: Impossible 5". She decided to choose another movie.

Her confusion is understandable. Just a few months before the British spy thriller "MI-5" hit American theaters, "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" (sometimes referred to as "M:I-5") was playing widely in the U.S. Lest anyone think that "MI-5" is trying to ride the coat tails of "M:I-5", I should mention that the former is a cinematic continuation of the 2002-2011 British TV series of the same name. And, ironically enough, the jump that "MI-5" made to the big screen mirrors that of "Mission: Impossible" in which the first of the movies has the hero of the TV series going rogue. If all that is too confusing, maybe this will help: The British series is called "MI-5" in the U.S., but was titled "Spooks" in the U.K. (after the common nickname for spies around the world) and the film version is known overseas as "Spooks: The Greater Good". I hope that clears up any confusion, and I'll just talk about the British film from here on in.

"Spooks: The Greater Good" / "MI-5" takes its name from the legendary British Secret Service which is responsible for counter-terrorism and counter-espionage as it works to protect British governmental and economic interests. When Adem Qasim (Elyes Gabel), the CIA's most wanted terrorist, escapes British custody while being transported to American agents, Harry Pearce (Peter Firth), head of MI-5's counter-terrorism department (Section D), is blamed. With "MI-5" facing an existential crisis and trying to save face after Qasim's escape, the organization pressures Pearce to resign. Instead, he disappears.

Former MI-5 agent, Will Holloway (Kit Harrington), who was only with the agency for a year, is brought in to help find Pearce. Holloway's father used to work with Pearce. MI-5 agents Geraldine Maltby (Jennifer Ehle) and Mace (Tim McInnerny) – with their boss, Francis Warrender (David Harewood) backing them up – tell Halloway that Pearce has more information about Halloway's father's death in the field than the young man had previously known. Halloway is reluctant because Pearce was the one responsible for Halloway's dismissal from MI-5 years before, but he really wants to get the whole story behind his father's death, so he sets out to find Pearce.

Holloway uses some of his MI-5 skills to catch up to Pearce in Berlin, but gets much more than he bargained for. Before Pearce tells Holloway anything else about his father, Pearce enlists Holloway to help him in his self-assigned one-man mission to find a traitor within MI-5. Holloway doesn't like or trust Pearce, especially when he finds out Pearce has been in contact with Qasim, but his encounters with another agent (Tuppence Middleton) lead Holloway to believe that Pearce is right about the traitor within their organization. The rest of the film involves a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in which Pearce works Qasim to discover the traitor's identity and Holloway works desperately to prevent a terrorist attack on London.

"MI-5" / "Spooks: The Greater Good" effectively mixes influences from the "Mission: Impossible" movies and TV shows like "Homeland" and "24", but isn't quite as good. Some of the film's plot points feel contrived, but the main story is interesting and keeps the audience guessing. The script contains great lines ("You can do good or you can do well. Sooner or later they make you choose.") as it delves into the complicated world of counter-terrorism in the 21st century and explores the difficult decisions we must make to survive in that world. Gabel isn't quite menacing enough as the villain, but Firth brings forward his character from the TV show wonderfully, while Harrington is great in this modern "Game of Thrones". It's too bad that woman chose not to see "MI-5". She missed a very entertaining movie. "B+"

The Spooks TV show has been a popular hit in the UK. Now the producers have gone and made a spin-off movie. Peter Firth is back in his role as Harry while we welcome a new addition in the form of Kit Harrington.

First of all, this movie is somewhat separate from the TV show. You don't need to have seen the TV show in order to understand what is going on. The movie had a fairly decent storyline and that is what it mainly focuses on. There are also a couple of intense moments which is what I like in a thriller. There is also a bit of character development as well. Without giving anything away there are also a couple of twists. Don't go into this movie expecting gun fights and car chases - you will be disappointed. They didn't have that kind of thing in the TV show, so it would make sense to do the same thing for the movie.

All in all, it was a good movie to enjoy. I have only seen the first two seasons of the TV show which I enjoyed and I didn't have any problems with this movie. So for me it worked.

Review: I'm really in two minds about this film because I was intrigued about who was the traitor working for the opposite side and I did wonder how they were going to take the terrorist down, so I never lost interest throughout the film. It did feel more like a TV movie than a film for the big screen but it's well put together and the attention to detail in the script was quite good. This complex storyline is about a "Most Wanted" American terrorist leader, Adam Qasim (Elyes Gabel), who escapes from MI5 custody during a routine handover. Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) is the leader of the operation and when Qasim escapes from there custody, he's decommissioned from MI5 and he goes underground to find the dangerous terrorist who plans to bomb various locations in London. He puts his trust in former agent Will Holloway (Kit Harrington) to find the traitor within MI5, who helped Qasim to escape but Will doesn't know if he can trust Harry because his father died during an operation with him. As the story unfolds, Will starts to believe Harry's information but he puts all his efforts into stopping Qasim while Harry is out to expose the traitor. Harry is also being hunted down by MI5 because he has gone rogue, so they try and use Will to bring him into custody but Harry is always 2 steps ahead. With all this going on, they still have to stop Qasim causing havoc in London so there is enough elements going on, which kept this movie interesting throughout. I'm not one that watched any episodes of the series so I didn't know what to expect. I personally wouldn't have used Kit Harrington to play the lead because he lacks emotion and he didn't really have intense screen charisma like Bruce Willis in Die Hard. With that aside, it's full of intense drama and I'm sure that the people who liked the series, won't be disappointed. I personally just found it mediocre but that's not to say that it isn't watchable. Average!

Round-Up: This movie was directed by Bharat Nalluri who brought you films like Crow: Salvation and Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day. He also directed 3 episodes of Hustle, 2 episodes of Life On Mars, 1 episode of Torchwood and 6 episodes of Spooks, so he had first hand experience of the series. I think he put together a decent movie and it was good to see that he used some of the original cast. He obviously chose Kit Harington for the lead because he has become popular since his role as Jon Snow in the Game Of Thrones franchise but I would have taken a gamble with a fresh new face. For his first major release, he must be happy with the reception that the movie received and I'm looking forward to seeing what they will do with other movies for this franchise. 

Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $4.7million

I recommend this movie to people who are into their drama/thrillers starring Kit Harington, Tuppence Middleton and Peter Firth. 5/10

For the uninitiated, 'Spooks' (or MI5 as the Yanks say) was a British television show centered around MI5 spies (nicknamed Spooks and essentially the British NSA). Be under no illusions: this doesn't have blind patriotism, missing super-weapons or a suave chiseled hero. And while Kit Harington is the handsome lead star, the actual star is none other than long-time veteran Peter Firth.

Ah Peter Firth. Never has a older man with wrinkles and a receding hairline been so bad-ass. Firth is the blend of George Smiley and Jack Bauer, a very British and Un-Hollywood-y figure. And that's the key to The Greater Good's success: it feels fresh and oh so British that it may confuse the Yank audience expecting car chases and epic showdowns. Even the Arabic villain is sympathetic, never cartoonish or monologuing, and similar in part to Anwar al- Awlaki. Even a slightly simple Kit Harington fits perfectly in the thrilling spy jigsaw, being a disgraced case officer slightly too soft for such a cold world.

And yes, case officer. Not secret agent, as one is completely disposable and the other uses such people to achieve, yes, the Greater Good. Bond would not last in this world, and Bauer would make melodrama of decisions. Pierce would be break it down to cruel ugly arithmetic, one dies while two lives. As modern spy-craft goes, this is the most realistic to hit the big screen yet.

If you haven't seen the television series, this is a solid British spy movie with a thrilling storyline. If you have, some sweet Easter eggs will leave you smiling with secret glee. This feels like not a television movie but a gritty British film worthy of recognition. The actors, directing, setting compliment each other perfectly. It feels like going to a fancy restaurant and eating the greatest dish of Bangers and Mash. Simply thrilling and unafraid to let the audience think, this is a solid movie experience.

This is destined to have a sequel. If not, it at least is a beautiful little gem in a pile of stones.