Spooks: The Greater Good

Director: Bharat Nalluri
Cast: Kit Harrington, Peter Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Tim McInnerny
Length: 104 minutes
Country: UK

Adapting a popular television show for the silver screen can be a treacherous task, in that striking the balance between pleasing fans of the original series and making the most of the medium is a Herculean task. Will a film be a Mission: Impossible or a Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, will it be a South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut or – God forbid – a Sex in the City 2? Thankfully Spooks: The Greater Good doesn’t disappoint much. We’ve still got spies running around London diffusing bombs and punching terrorists to the tune of orchestral music, except this time there’s a lot more aerial shots and all the action seems to go down near famous landmarks.

Following the trials and tribulations of MI5 agents between 2002 and 2011, the British counter-intelligence agency is in bad shape. Still at its helm is Harry Pierce (Peter Firth), who might not be a Hollywood leading man with perfect teeth and chiselled abs but who nevertheless holds a place in the hearts of many British viewers. The film sees him in trouble, however, when an operation goes tits up under his command and a prolific terrorist (Elyes Gabel) escapes. Harry is fired, then disappears off the grid. Enter Kit Harrington, who might be a Hollywood leading man with perfect teeth and chiselled abs but at least he’s from Worcester. His character Will is living a life of crime in Berlin, but as Harry’s former protégé he’s just the man the higher-ups want to find him. “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”

We’ve still got spies running around London diffusing bombs and punching terrorists to the tune of orchestral music, except this time there’s a lot more aerial shots and all the action seems to go down near famous landmarks

Most of the action revolves around a conspiracy that, you guessed it, goes all the way to the very top. Harry tells Will that the operation was rigged to fail by a person on the inside, who wants MI5 to collapse so the CIA can take over – those pesky yanks. There’s some fun to be had trying to decide which nefarious government entity is the mole (Jennifer Ehle, David Harewood, and the brilliantly slimy Tim McInnerny all fall under suspicion), though that’s not really the film’s concern – for the most part it wants an excuse to have a foot chase through Terminal 5, or to stage a tense negotiation with a sniper planted on the roof of the National Theatre.

Image: Pinewood Pictures

However, what distinguishes this film from every other dull conspiracy thriller of its type is that there’s a real edge to the proceedings, something that’s unique to the Spooks brand. The series distinguished itself as more than a British riff on 24 by being ruthless with its characters, such as the infamous “deep-fat fryer” scene, and it meant that you were always on edge about whether your favourite characters would make it to the end credits (they often didn’t).

There’s a similar sensibility to the film – one important character gets knocked off 15 minutes in – yet you can’t help but wonder if some of the impact is lost by not having the opportunity to develop its characters over time. Harrington, in particular, feels thin, as does his requisite female accomplice – though both drive the action with steely resolve, which I suppose is all they really need to do.

Maybe for Spooks: 2 Great 2 Good we could have old cast members returning for revenge against their writers?

Overall it’s what you’d expect from a Spooks film, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s exciting, taut, and has none of the patchiness that we like to gloss over when talking about the show. The downside is that some of its personality is lost, and there’s no equivalent to the charismatic performances of Rupert Penry-Jones or Hermione Norris – though Firth is as engaging as he’s ever been. Maybe for Spooks: 2 Great 2 Good we could have old cast members returning for revenge against their writers? Charlie Kaufman could write it. Just a thought.