Article first published as THE NIGHT MANAGER Review on Seat42F.
AMC
recently co-produced a six-episode miniseries with the BBC, and
beginning this week, less than a month after it completed its run in
England, Americans will get their first look at the tale. Titled THE
NIGHT MANAGER, it is based on the novel of the same name by John le
Carre (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), first published in 1993, and updated
to seem more timely. Essentially, it presents a cat-and-mouse game of
two vastly mismatched partners who just might somehow be a perfect
pairing.
The hero of the piece is Jonathan Pine
(Tom Hiddleston, The Avengers), a former British soldier who now handles
things after dark at a very upscale hotel in Cairo, Egypt. An
accidental run-in with a woman who is connected to the seedy underworld
sparks feelings of protectiveness in Jonathan, and it isn’t long before
he becomes involved in international espionage, given face by MI6 agent
Angela Burr (Olivia Colman, Broadchurch).
Cue the villain, Richard Roper (Hugh
Laurie, House), who values money above people. Traveling with an
entourage, which includes girlfriend Jed Marshall (Elizabeth Debicki,
The Great Gatsby) and protector Corky (Tom Hollander, Rev.), Roper comes
in contact with Pine, who knows Roper is responsible for some
unfortunate things Pine cannot get over. Thus begins their competition.
Hiddleston and Laurie are absolutely
phenomenal in the leading roles, as one would expect. Hiddleston is the
star, with his Pine as every bit as sympathetic and heroic as Loki, the
character he is best known for playing, is scheming and twisted. Laurie
has the smaller role, especially in the first hour, but that makes his
screen time even more powerful, grabbing attention the moment he shows
up.
With two such talented performers
leading the story, it’s little wonder that the series is incredibly
captivating. They’re the type of men who could carry a single-set, small
drama, and given the larger world stage (THE NIGHT MANAGER hops
countries a few times), they still steal focus from the impressive
scenery.
I mentioned in the opening that the
story has been updated, but not to worry, the changes are not startling
nor distracting. The televised version of THE NIGHT MANAGER plays upon
Egypt’s Arab Spring and the Syrian crisis. Since the novel came out more
than two decades ago, those weren’t elements in the original work. But
while I have not read the book, I think it’s smart to make the
surrounding details more relevant to the moment, giving easily
understood context to the larger picture, even though the main points
are the characters, whom could exist the same in any number of settings.
Besides our leads, the three other main
players are amazing as well, and the supporting cast includes the likes
of Tobias Menzies (Outlander), David Harewood (Homeland), Alistair
Petrie (Rush), and Russell Tovey (Being Human). If these are the kind of
people coming in to play the smaller roles, I think that’s a sure sign
the program is heading in the right direction.
Pretty much every direction THE NIGHT
MANAGER takes is correct. The pacing is slow enough to dwell in the
appropriate moments, but stays far ahead of boring. The locales are
sweeping and beautiful. The hotels that Pine works at are extravagant
masterpieces. The score accentuates without distracting. Honestly, other
than the fact that the story being told is longer than would fit, THE
NIGHT MANAGER could make a very well-regarded motion picture. After only
viewing a single hour, I am totally hooked and convinced the entire
half dozen installments will be well worth your time. I’m putting them
on my schedule.
THE NIGHT MANAGER premieres Tuesday at 10/9c on AMC.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.