We all love a good spy story. We're fascinated by the secrets and lies, the mysterious world of espionage and, of course, the suspense of it all. Spies have been part of the pop culture zeitgeist for decades, but we just can't seem to ever get enough. Lately, there's been a flood of spy-related content being released, and a lot of them featuring major star power. Black Doves is Netflix's latest espionage thriller that's all killer, no filler.
Helen (Keira Knightley) embarks on a passionate affair with a man who has no idea what her secret identity is. Caught in the crosshairs when her lover falls victim to the dangerous London underworld, Helen's employers call in Sam (Ben Whishaw) to protect her.
Black Doves is a prime example of what a spy thriller should be. It's got twists aplenty, it has great action, and it immerses you in the fascinating world of espionage. In just six episodes, this world is fully realised and all of the characters are well developed. You finish the show eager for more missions featuring this group.
This very much feels like Keira Knightley's big return to the mainstream. She's been around in smaller films over the past decade, but none of it has really hit in the way that Black Doves will. She's clearly having a great time playing this character and getting her hands dirty in the many well-choreographed fight scenes. It also feels like there is a lot more to explore with her character, which will be an intriguing aspect if Netflix decides to explores future series.
Despite Knightley giving her best performance in years, it's Ben Whishaw who steals the show. Sam is a great exploration of the cost of being in the spy game. He's struggled with his relationships as his actions catch up with him and has become a lone wolf, a gun-for-hire who is losing his true self with every bullet he unleashes. Whishaw is phenomenal at creating vulnerability within this cold killer and his arc is the most well realised.
There are also a lot of great supporting characters featured throughout the show. Williams (Ella Lily Hyland) and Eleanor (Gabrielle Creevy) are major standouts who sometimes manage to steal scenes from Knightley and Whishaw with their excellent comedic timing and great one-liners.
Sometimes, Black Doves can be a bit too twist-heavy for its own good. In the middle of the series, there is an awful lot of shock value injected all at once, which does make the narrative get a bit too complicated. However, this is all resolved and explained in a satisfying, well-earned conclusion.
Black Doves is a holiday treat. Set against the backdrop of Christmas-set London, this is a bingeable and exciting series to watch over the holidays.
Black Doves is now streaming on Netflix.
