A good thriller spy movie or series is something I usually try to slot into my viewing schedule once in a while. While my days of craving to watch heroes and heroines do some heavy ass kicking, whether behind the scenes or out in the open, have dulled somewhat as I get older, the lure of political espionage in addition to watching some crazy choreographed action sequences is hard to escape. The best part? Getting to also witness the characters making some really hard and tough decisions with so much at stake. So, does Black Doves starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw on Netflix tick all the above boxes and then some? No. It doesn’t. But is it still a worthy spy series to watch and have a good time? Sure. I can say it was a pretty fun mini-series. It has some of its moments. Will I be watching season 2? I’m pretty sure I will, but I’m hardly counting down the days until its release.

I think one of the biggest issues I have with Black Doves is how safe they played it. I really would have wanted them to do something a bit more unorthodox, but alas, that wasn’t in the plans. As a result, I felt there weren’t many memorable parts to the series, and once the credits started to roll in episode six, it was just that: an ending to a series that did what it had to do. For a thriller spy series, I just felt deep down that that wasn’t enough. Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw have some good on-screen chemistry with each other, though, and for that, I’m willing to stick with the series to see how they will fare in the next season.

Kiera as Helen Webb plays the typical loving mother to her kids along as a loving wife to the defense secretary. Oh, and yes, she’s a spy for an agency that sells information to the highest bidder. Ben, playing as Sam the triggerman (thank you, Sam, for letting us know the term is non-gender specific), is a bit more interesting. Both have specific issues they deal with throughout the movie. With Helen, it’s wondering whether she got her outside lover killed by revealing who she really was to him. With Sam, it’s having to deal with a job he failed on years ago. The whole mystery of who killed the Chinese ambassador just felt a bit, I don’t know, inconsequential? I mean, that’s literally what started everything, but honestly, there were times where I just couldn’t care. While war with China is a huge threat, there just wasn’t anything presented throughout the six episodes that really made that threat seem, oh, I don’t know, threatening enough to make me hold my breath? At that point, I started to realize that this wasn’t that kind of spy thriller.

Fortunately, we get some light comedy with the duo of Williams and Eleanor. Some of their banter with Sam and between themselves had me chuckling pretty good. The last episode was such a letdown, and I think it kind of sums up the overall series in a way. I commend them for squeezing the series into just six episodes instead of dragging things out, but I think this is one of the few times where maybe an extra episode or two could help? I mean, like the whole Clark organization that gets sprung on the viewers at the last minute seemed kind of lazy? Like, ok, it’s not some secret country that all of a sudden comes into play, but you’re just going to go with the old trope of a “criminal organization” as the entity that’s causing all this drama? Can we get, like, you know, more information on them? Regardless of everything, Black Doves is still an okay series. As I usually tell myself, a spy thriller once in a while is good for the soul. And besides, seeing Kiera cussing like a schoolgirl just makes everything that much more fun. 🤣