ok time-passer

Spies of Warsaw has the usual litany of pluses we would expect from a BBC prestige production: handsomely mounted sets, generally fine acting, authentic period detail, impeccable literary pedigree, and at least some effort at historical accuracy. However -

Despite all the skullduggery, we just don’t have much investment in what happens to the characters. Another minus we notice right away is the murky look. There seems to be an obligatory trend these days: shadowy and blurry = menace and evil. For me it just equals incomprehensibility. Another drawback is the romantic subplot which is further undermined by the conspicuous lack of chemistry between the leads. And the language problem - Brit actors playing Polish and French characters who speak with British accents - has been much commented on.

A good try, then, but no cigar. Six stars, mostly for production and the historical subject matter. The recent movie Imitation Game and the TV series Cambridge Spies covered much the same territory, but in far more compelling fashion.