2018 Show
United Kingdom, United States of America · English
A steady, stylish period thriller that highlights the dangerous complications of war
The Little Drummer Girl starts slow, but it’s hard to peel your eyes away from the screen when it finally kicks into gear in the third episode. Every frame is packed with style, for one, and Le Carre’s espionage maze reliably thrills for another. Paired with Park Chan-wook’s eye for detail, as seen in modern classics like Oldboy and The Handmaiden, and with Pugh’s all-in performance, The Little Drummer Girl feels a bit more premium than the usual spy thrillers on TV. The elephant in the room, of course, is that this is all set against the backdrop of the Israel-Palestine conflict, manifested here in back-and-forth terrorist and assassination attempts. In this aspect, the series can be quite toothless, though it accurately highlights the hypocrisy of armchair activists like Charlie. “All right, I’m superficial, I get it!” she claims when pressed about her conflicting politics.
Brilliant young actress Charlie strikes up an acquaintance with an intriguing stranger while on holiday in Greece, but it rapidly becomes apparent that his intentions are far from romantic.
"The acclaimed Korean director makes a stunning TV debut with Alexander Skarsgard, Florence Pugh, and Michael Shannon's fabulous accent."
— Ben Travers
"It's another high-profile mini-series that rewards the patient, and further proof of its director's international importance."
— Brian Tallerico
In 1970s Europe, the Mossad hire Charlie (Florence Pugh), a British actress, to infiltrate the Palestinian militia's ranks
Enjoying popsicles while a Palestinian prisoner wails in a torture chamber pretty much sums things up, doesn’t it?
Park Chan-wook’s precision, Pugh’s all-in performance, and Le Carre’s political thrills make this series what it is.
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
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