The comfortable world of the British establishment is shaken to its core when high-ranking intelligence officer Nicholas Elliott discovers that his lifelong friend and colleague, Kim Philby, has been a Soviet double agent for decades. Following Philby's escape to Moscow, Elliott must endure a grueling interrogation by a suspicious MI5 investigator to determine if he was complicit or merely a fool. Based on the non-fiction account by Ben Macintyre, this is a literate and handsomely mounted reconstruction of the most famous betrayal in the history of the Secret Intelligence Service.
It eschews the typical pyrotechnics of the genre in favor of a quiet, brooding atmosphere where the primary weapons are words and shared history. The script captures the specific arrogance of the English upper class, a trait that allowed Philby to hide in plain sight for so long. The central performances are exceptional.
Guy Pearce brings a chilling, hollow charm to Philby, while Damian Lewis portrays Elliott with a brittle sense of wounded honor. The addition of a fictional investigator, played with working-class steel by Anna Maxwell Martin, provides a necessary counterpoint to the old boy network. While the pacing is deliberate and the timeline jumps frequently, the result is a rewarding study of friendship, class loyalty, and the devastating cost of misplaced trust.
Production Details
UK / ITVX - Sony Pictures, Ginger Biscuit / 6x60 Minute Episodes / 2022
Created by: Alexander Cary
Executive Producers: Alexander Cary, Damian Lewis, Patrick Spence
Music: Dustin O'Halloran
Main Cast
Damian Lewis as Nicholas Elliott
Guy Pearce as Kim Philby
Anna Maxwell Martin as Lily Thomas
Adrian Edmondson as Sir Roger Hollis
Stephen Kunken as James Jesus Angleton
Nicholas Rowe as Sir Anthony Blunt