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The credits for Camera Trainees include Alfie Oldman, Gary Oldman’s son
Chronology
It follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve as a dumping ground for MI5 due to their career-ending mistakes. He has worked on several films that Gary has starred in.
Featured in Graham Norton I like: Kristin Scott Thomas/George Takei/Claudia Winkleman/Jamie Oliver/First Aid Kit (2022)
Gary Oldman has already proven himself a master of the political thriller and espionage subgenres, with his powerful performance in the Oscar-winning The Darkest Hour (2017) as well as the more understated and equally effective Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011). He has portrayed gravitas, charisma, calm under pressure, and steady efficiency very well on screen, but Apple TV+’s new offering shows a completely different dimension to the British veteran, one tempered with dry British wit and wry humor, without ever giving up on the thrilling elements of espionage.
Lamb seems perfectly happy running routine operations and surveillance work when his team inadvertently gets involved in the kidnapping of a young Muslim boy, presumably carried out by right-wing fundamentalists
We follow MI5 agent “Jackson Lamb” (Oldman), who heads a sub-group within the intelligence agency nicknamed “Slow Horses” because it’s made up mostly of disgraced, underperforming losers who no one else seems to want. Featuring Jonathan Pryce, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Saskia Reeves, Jack Lowden and a host of excellent British actors, Slow Horses takes pains to paint vivid character sketches of its motley crew of temperamental agents, all with something to prove, given their sordid pasts.
The writing by Morwenna Banks; Will Smith; Jonny Stockwood; Mark Denton deserves special praise for striking the right balance between character development, suspense, unexpected twists and humor
Director James Hawes builds his narrative slowly but confidently over six healthy episodes, which are full of unexpected twists and turns as the stakes get progressively higher and the conspiracy gets more complicated as the team tracks down one lead after another. Oldman is in fine form as the caustic, fast-talking spymaster who seems to use mockery and disdain as weapons to get his team to act, and the supporting cast play a capable foil to the old master, creating a vivid world that intrigues and also makes you laugh at the most unexpected events.
Highly recommended and can’t wait for season 2!
Apple TV+ has another winner on its hands, with “Slow Horses,” alongside “Severance,” clearly emerging as one of the best new series of 2022.
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