Johnny Worricker is back as a realistic Secret Agent.
“Worricker: The Complete Series” begins with “Page Eight”. Johnny Worricker is a long-serving MI5 officer who’s trying to wind his adventures down. Unfortunately, everyone around him can’t stay out of trouble. While the entry mini-series/film/whatever tries to be as confusing as DePalma’s stab at Mission: Impossible…it does set a ton of groundwork. It’s just that you’ve got a few more hours before anything pays off. But, stick with it…the trilogy is really worth the venture.
“Turks & Caicos” makes more sense, as I’ve been watching this trilogy in reverse nature. Christopher Walken does good with his role, but he’s just there to push the action forward. Johnny Worricker is still our focus, as he wants to piece together the Prime Minister’s sticky happenings outside of England. Basically, he’s helping the CIA to move questionable business through British Isles that allow governments and businesses to hide money. Worricker didn’t leave MI-5 to start putting up with this crap.
The Johnny Worricker Trilogy enters its middle chapter, as we get way more recognizable guest stars and the stakes for Worricker start to increase. I know it’s off topic, but I have to bring up how much more gorgeous Winona Ryder becomes as she ages. Ryder does well with the material she’s given, but then we’re back to Helena Bonham Carter. She’s not bad, she just feels like heavy baggage added for conflict. Thankfully, that character development irons out.
“Salting the Battlefield” concludes the Worricker Trilogy by having Bill Nighy take the fight back to the Prime Minister. The problem when you do political drama like this is that an edge is required to make it relevant. Otherwise, it’s just a thriller in political dressing. There are no slams on the British political system and everyone can say that Fiennes is playing a thin Tony Blair riff. But, I guess just being a decent looking UK citizens in the modern era puts you in that running. If that wasn’t the worst, Helena Bonham Carter shows up.
Johnny Worricker is a lesser David Hare creation, but Bill Nighy tries to give him such personality. Ultimately, your interest is going to boil down to two things. How much you appreciate David Hare and how much you care about political drama. If you’re expecting “24” or “House of Cards”, then you’re barking up the wrong tree. If you’re expecting a calmer take on those Alistar MacLean/MacNeill USA TV movies from the early 90s, this will be more your speed. That sounds bad, but there’s an audience for everything.
The Blu-Ray comes with an extended featurette loaded with interviews as the sole special feature. The A/V Quality is quite impressive. Still, the Dolby 2.0 surround track leaves something to be desired. The 1080p transfer does hold up, so there’s that. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: 11/3/2015