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Black Doves (2024)

2024 · Action,Drama,Mystery · spy-contemporary, crime-psychological-profiler

Black Doves poster

Black Doves is a tonally hybrid British spy thriller set against a Christmas backdrop in London, following a sleeper agent embedded in a senior politician's household and her gay hitman best friend. Its chief appeal is the sparkling Knightley–Whishaw partnership, which tips the show closer to dark buddy comedy than genuine espionage drama. The action is stylized and Tarantino-inflected rather than gritty, and the ensemble includes a roster of enjoyably deadly supporting characters. Reviewers consistently praise the performances while faulting the plotting as implausible and the tonal blend as uneven — a bingeable, entertaining package that rewards switching off critical faculties.

From the reviewers

The camera work and acting? Top-notch. The set design and writing? Not so much.
They'll imply a bomb with some visual cliché or stage a massive public murder, and-surprise!-no cops show up. Just our sly sleuth protagonist poking around for clues like it's a murder mystery brunch.
He described it as "fun and entertaining, but the emotional, realistic aspects of the story didn't work harmoniously with the unrealistic action," and that's a perfect summary.
it is the latter that sort of works best as the spying stuff is a bit convoluted with spies & killers popping up from anywhere & everywhere at any time, and sometimes I just stopped trying to follow the entire path and just enjoy the moment.
His role here is a bit unique being a leading man who is a gay killer.

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