With the Russian invasion of the Ukraine dominating the world news, ITV have not chosen a good time to screen this much-publicised remake of Len Deighton's 1960's Cold War drama, previously filmed in 1965 with Michael Caine as the bespectacled British spy 'Harry Palmer'. Anyway, I gave it a chance and thought it got off to a decent start. The film also took liberties with the book so once cannot complain about the series following suit. We got to see Palmer in his army days, when he got arrested ( for black marketeering ) and imprisoned, followed by his recruitment by British Intelligence. There was a reason why he was given the task of tracking down enemy agent 'Housemartin' ( Palmer had met him once before ) in order to negotiate the return of the kidnapped atomic scientist Professor Dawson. The executive producers were Steven and Hilary Saltzman, whose late father Harry produced the original franchise. I had feared the series would go down the James Bond road but thankfully that has not happened. The first episode was stylish and kept my attention throughout,. Joe Cole had the tough job of replacing Caine, but worked out well. 'Jean Courtney' , a major character in the film ( Sue Lloyd was terrific ) , benefits greatly from the extra running time. The inclusion of a black American agent isn't a new idea though. Thomas Baptiste played 'Barney' in the first film.
A few complaints, however. John Barry's music was missed, and the actor playing 'Dalby' ( Tom Hollander ) was not a patch on Nigel Green, who played the role in the film. Where was Colonel Ross? He was a major character in the book/film, and he is ignored here. What's Colonel Stok doing in this story? He comes from a later book 'Funeral In Berlin'.
Reservations aside, I hope the remaining episodes will be as good as the first.
A few complaints, however. John Barry's music was missed, and the actor playing 'Dalby' ( Tom Hollander ) was not a patch on Nigel Green, who played the role in the film. Where was Colonel Ross? He was a major character in the book/film, and he is ignored here. What's Colonel Stok doing in this story? He comes from a later book 'Funeral In Berlin'.
Reservations aside, I hope the remaining episodes will be as good as the first.