Apols if this has been reviewed before, but I can't find any sign of it.
So, 6 part Netflix series on Eli Cohen, Israeli spy who bored deep into Syria for 4 years of old-school spy work. Really interesting series with a great performance by Sacha Baron Cohen as the spy and Noah Emmerich (The Americans) as his handler. The spycraft part of the series is dead interesting, as is the whole '60s Middle East politics angle.
The direction is wildly uneven, though, with moments that would charitably be described as cartoonish. Some expository dialogue was clearly written by the Ministry of Earnest Israeli Propaganda. One laughable scene involves the 'embassy' getting bad news, and everyone is reading the newspaper. Literally everyone, in every room, all holding the newspaper up in front of them taking in the news in exactly the same way. We get it...this is big news.
Not sure where it was shot, but the look and feel are great. Old electronics. Old cars. Old styles. But then the centerpiece of one scene (the President's ball) features a stretch 1984 Lincoln Town Car limo pulling up in front of the palace. This is in 1962, mind. What made the clangers so bad is that the rest of it was so good.
Well worth your time. Netflix over here.
So, 6 part Netflix series on Eli Cohen, Israeli spy who bored deep into Syria for 4 years of old-school spy work. Really interesting series with a great performance by Sacha Baron Cohen as the spy and Noah Emmerich (The Americans) as his handler. The spycraft part of the series is dead interesting, as is the whole '60s Middle East politics angle.
The direction is wildly uneven, though, with moments that would charitably be described as cartoonish. Some expository dialogue was clearly written by the Ministry of Earnest Israeli Propaganda. One laughable scene involves the 'embassy' getting bad news, and everyone is reading the newspaper. Literally everyone, in every room, all holding the newspaper up in front of them taking in the news in exactly the same way. We get it...this is big news.
Not sure where it was shot, but the look and feel are great. Old electronics. Old cars. Old styles. But then the centerpiece of one scene (the President's ball) features a stretch 1984 Lincoln Town Car limo pulling up in front of the palace. This is in 1962, mind. What made the clangers so bad is that the rest of it was so good.
Well worth your time. Netflix over here.
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