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Spooks: The Greater Good (2015)

thereviewers
Nov 15, 2015
2 min read

Spooks: The Greater Good is a tell of intrigue and misdirection that starts when the CIA’s most wanted terrorist escapes MI5 custody during a high profile handover. However, when the head of Counter Terrorism, Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) is blamed and disappears in disgrace. His former protégée and ex-agent Will Holloway (Kit Harington) returns to help track down Harry and uncover the truth about the escape.

Overall Review Score

5 out of 10

Review

Based on Spooks, the immensely popular TV series, Spooks: The Greater Good sees Harry Pearce having to use his extensive tradecraft to avoid the government for whom he has dedicated most of his life, when he becomes a wanted fugitive after a botched prisoner exchange. While the films 100-minute run time moves quickly and the audience are occasionally reminder of little snippets from the TV series, the film pretty much is a singular entity that tries to insert Will Holloway (Kit Harington) into the canon without much explanation. As the film progresses it moves further and further away from the TV series and descends down the route of modern action, thrillers but with a slightly more ridiculous plot. While the majority of characters feel lifeless and one dimensional, the film is salvaged, albeit barely, by acting talents of Kit Harington and Peter Firth. Overall, Spooks: The Greater Good is a mediocre film that while entertaining, won’t do much to appease the TV series fans.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 4 out of 10

Comments:

Spooks : The Greater Good could have been such an intriguing film that would be reminiscent of the 2002-2011 TV series. However what came to life on screen was a mixture of meaningless characters, dreadful acting and a story so full of hole it would of made Swiss cheese jealous. Those expecting the acting skills of Kit Harington and Peter Firth to bring meaningful acting to the film are sure to be surprised.

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 6 out of 10

Comments:

Spooks: The Greater Good was a slight let down, I was hoping for something that mirrored the original series and saw Peter Firth dust off the all knowing, clever façade he so effortlessly can portray. However, what I saw instead was a film trying to be a mixture of Bourne and Bond. It was less MI5 and more DIY, as it felt like the audience was having to put things together and work out how and why Kit Harington’s character is important. Ultimately, Spooks: The Greater Good was a film that contained some decent scenes but was let down by a poor script that did not showcase the series in the best light.