‘Black Doves’ is Entertaining
Keira Knightley in Black Doves | Credit: Netflix
Black Doves takes us into the secret world of spies, triggermen, and the criminal underworld lurking under London.
I really enjoyed this show. If you’re looking for a twisty spy thriller, this could be a great option for you. It’s only six episodes, which makes it an absolute breeze to get through, and each episode ends on a solid cliffhanger that makes you want to keep watching.
Things get more and more far-fetched as the show goes along, but that’s part of the charm. No one goes into a spy movie or TV show looking for the action to be grounded in reality. We want to be entertained, and that’s exactly what Black Doves does.
Helen Webb (Keira Knightley) appears to be an ordinary wife and mother, but she’s not. When a murder hits close to home, she begins investigating, determined to learn what happened. With each episode, we see more and more of this world that is operating just beyond the vision of most Londoners.
I love this type of spy content. It’s so fun to imagine what could be lurking in the shadows of the city. What vast criminal enterprises exist? Who are the spies operating out of the shops or restaurants that we frequent? It’s so fun to see a regular world turned upside down by people who live by a completely different set of rules.
Ben Whishaw and Keira Knightley in Black Doves | Credit: Netflix
As Helen dives into the spy world, she is reunited with Sam (Ben Whishaw), a triggerman with whom she shares a history. Whishaw is perfect in this role (as he so often is), bringing a mix of so many conflicting emotions and motivations to this character. He is witty and fun, somber and empathetic, and he also engages in this deadly profession. Whishaw and Knightley have such a great rapport with one another, which makes Black Doves really fun to watch. You just want to spend time with these two.
Sam isn’t the only triggerman (which, we learn, is a gender-neutral term) we meet. Williams (Ella Lily Hyland) and Eleanor (Gabrielle Creevy) are also triggermen who cross paths with Sam and Helen throughout the course of the show. And they are hilarious!
The writing for these characters is absolutely top-notch, bringing levity and silliness to even the most tense of moments. Because shootouts are normal for them, they are relatively unfazed by being in the middle of a hail of bullets, leading to some unexpected conversations in what would otherwise be a tense scene. The infusion of humor by these characters is really effective and helps lighten this spy thriller.
Black Doves also leans into some moments of highly stylized violence, which I think works rather well. At one point, some of the characters break into a discotheque, but there are a ton of armed guards there — more than they were expecting or had planned for. They move through this really brightly colored building with lights and a disco ball while murdering everyone in sight. While it’s very violent, the location brings color and visual interest to what the characters are doing.
Black Doves is an entertaining spy thriller that shows us a different side of London spies. It’s a fun watch because so many of the characters are fun to be around. Though it’s an action thriller, there are also moments of growth for our main characters as they attempt to untangle an intricate web of crime.
If you’re looking for a spy thriller that can keep you entertained from start to finish, consider checking out Black Doves.