The Agency review – even Michael Fassbender can’t save this utterly tedious spy story
It's an exciting era for enthusiasts of espionage series. Slow Horses has recently wrapped up, a fresh version of The Day of the Jackal has hit the scene, and we’re just days away from the highly awaited Netflix series, Black Doves, featuring Keira Knightley. Considering stepping into such a saturated market would require immense self-assurance.
This brings us to The Agency, a fresh spy series on Paramount+ that radiates confidence in abundance. The show is inspired by the highly praised French series Le Bureau des Légendes, often hailed as one of the greatest television shows ever created. The Butterworth brothers, known for their consistent success, are behind the adaptation, while George Clooney takes on the role of producer. Joe Wright directs the first two episodes, and the impressive cast includes Michael Fassbender, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jeffrey Wright, and Richard Gere. Paramount is marketing it not just as a TV show but more like a major cultural event. What could possibly go wrong?
It turns out quite a bit. Based on the first few episodes, it seems that The Agency focused so much on gathering a lineup of high-profile names that it overlooked the need for engaging content. The show unfolds at a leisurely pace, sometimes feeling bogged down by its own significance. Maybe, like Le Bureau des Légendes, we might look back on it in five years and appreciate how well it gradually engrosses its audience. However, as an opening statement, The Agency lacks any real sense of urgency, akin to someone who has just been sedated.
Fassbender is the central figure around which everything else revolves. He has been somewhat inactive for a bit, making only brief appearances in the upcoming Taika Waititi film *Next Goal Wins* and in David Fincher’s largely unnoticed *The Killer*. In *The Agency*, he portrays an American spy who is pulled back from a long-term undercover mission in a way that doesn’t meet his superiors' expectations. While he was away, he fell in love and couldn’t completely sever ties with the woman he became attached to. Is this a testament to love’s power, or does she have a hidden agenda? At this pace, we’ll probably discover the answer in seven or eight years.
There’s a glimmer of hope. The long run of Le Bureau des Légendes suggests that if The Agency gets renewed, it will be well managed. It won’t, to put it in industry terms, go the way of Homeland and spiral out of control once the original story material is exhausted. We won't have to worry about Fassbender outliving his French co-star, leading the writers to resort to a last-minute plot twist of having him become a drug addict in an Argentine high-rise. At the very least, this is something to hold on to.
The main issue holding back The Agency is that we're now in a world shaped by Slow Horses. Slow Horses feels natural and familiar, effortlessly capturing its setting. It knows how to use humor to ease tense moments. The story is centered around its characters, allowing them to shape the narrative instead of the plot dictating their actions. In stark contrast, The Agency seems to overlook these important elements entirely.
Similar to Slow Horses, this story takes place in London. However, it presents a bland, touristy version of the city that feels inauthentic. In contrast to Slow Horses, the characters here don't show much personality at all. This is especially true for Fassbender's character.
Additionally, I realize this is a minor detail in the grander context, but I'm still a bit unclear about the character's origin. I’d venture to say he might be American. However, considering that he’s an Irish actor portraying someone who resides in London, his accent varies throughout the scenes, which is quite odd.
Perhaps these are just initial stumbles. There's a possibility that The Agency will eventually find its rhythm and really engage with its source material. If and when that happens, it could be amazing. But please, someone nudge me when it does; I just don't have the time to wait around.
