Keira Knightley’s new Netflix spy thriller Black Doves has a near perfect score from critics following its release this week.
The drama, which also stars Ben Whishaw and Sarah Lancashire, currently stands at 97 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics giving the show rave reviews.
The show’s synopsis reads: “Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, Black Doves is a sharp, action-filled and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down to earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.
“For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organisation she works for: the Black Doves. When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) to keep her safe. Together, Helen and Sam set off on a mission to investigate who killed Jason and why, leading them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy linking the murky London underworld to a looming geopolitical crisis.”
The show earned a four star review from The Guardian who praised the show’s “fantastic performances”. They added: “Inevitably, this will earn comparisons to the other big spy shows of the year. It isn’t as composed or as witty as Slow Horses, and not as self-serious as The Day of the Jackal, but in among the chaos, it finds its own voice…This is a schlocky thriller, stuffed like a turkey with action, twists and a good sense of humour.”
Variety were similarly effusive, writing: “…Black Doves is engaging and exciting. There are guns, explosions and kidnappings, but at the story’s core is Helen’s desire to be seen for who she is instead of the mask she has so carefully cultivated. While several revelations in the series are obvious, others will stun viewers to their core. These plot points will undoubtedly crack open the narrative for an equally intense second season.”
Vanity Fair’s critic described it as “the most fun I’ve had watching TV this year” and added: “On Black Doves, matters of the heart stand toe-to-toe with all the bloody intrigue. Characters’ idiosyncrasies, their pert humour in the face of mortal risk, are charming where so much else in the spies-with-personal-lives mini-genre feels canned.”
IndieWire meanwhile awarded the show a ‘B’ rating and wrote: “Sporadically violent and consistently entertaining, season one crafts a solid mystery out of its familiar allegory while making the most of its two leads. It’s not exactly breaking new ground — Sam and Helen should set up a happy hour with their fellow disillusioned London spies, Martian and Jackal (both codenames) — but for anyone looking to commiserate via TV during a truncated Christmas break (or who simply crave even more espionage in their entertainment), Black Doves will take you under its warm, tender wing.”
Other critics on Twitter called the show “phenomenal” and “ridiculously entertaining”. You can see some more of the reaction to the show here:
Impressed by Netflix casually dropping the ridiculously entertaining #BlackDoves at the end of the year without much fanfare as if it wasn’t an absolute triumph. People are going to be quoting the dialogue for years. pic.twitter.com/UOjqON1YAb
— Neil Armstrong (@_neilarmstrong) December 4, 2024
‘Black Doves,’ starring Ben Whishaw and Keira Knightley, is “the most fun I had watching TV this year,” writes VF’s chief critic @rilaws.
See VF’s full list of the best shows of the year: https://t.co/kJtarjqyJp pic.twitter.com/VKjEse2ZrW
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) December 6, 2024
So I was talking about #BlackDoves, which I absolutely loved. Keira and Ben are a phenomenal double act and Sarah Lancashire is chilling throughout. Think Slow Horses meets Giri/Haji, but wittier, more playful, and very, very queer. @JoeBarton_ never misses. Five stars from me. https://t.co/45TT7O5PLd pic.twitter.com/LHfeJeTPdf
— David Opie (@DavidOpie) November 29, 2024
Black Doves is delightful, if you want a Slow Horses-esque spy drama where Keira Knightley plays a deep cover spy slash politician’s wife and Ben Whishaw plays her gay bff slash assassin. Which is literally all I want? Sarah Lancashire’s also there.
— Sam Brooks (@sbrookbrooks) December 6, 2024
‘Black Doves’ is a whip-smart show that leads Keira Knightley and Ben Whishsaw elevate above the confines of any genre to an abiding classic. Our review,
@alishamgl:https://t.co/7gFiFV5xDO
— Exclaim! (@exclaimdotca) December 5, 2024
Black Doves is incredibly entertaining. Love seeing Keira Knightley having so much fun on screen. Outstanding cast all around. Looking forward to season 2! So many possibilities.
— Lieryn (@Lieryn) December 5, 2024
Last month, Knightley spoken out about her experiences of working on the Pirates Of The Caribbean films. The actress made her breakthrough as Elizabeth Swann in the first three movies from 2003 to 2007.
Despite her and the franchise’s success though, Knightley said in a new interview, she had mixed feelings about her role in them despite giving her the opportunity to go on to better things.
She told The Times: “It’s a funny thing when you have something that was making and breaking you at the same time. I was seen as shit because of them, and yet because they did so well I was given the opportunity to do the films that I ended up getting Oscar nominations for.
“They were the most successful films I’ll ever be a part of and they were the reason that I was taken down publicly. So they’re a very confused place in my head.”
Knightley also ruled out appearing in any future Pirates Of The Caribbean movies, adding: “The hours are insane. It’s years of your life, you have no control over where you’re filming, how long you’re filming, what you’re filming.”
She made similar comments when asked about returning to the franchise last year.
In other news, Knightly also impressed Cher recently when she recently covered ‘Believe’ with her teeth on The Graham Norton Show.
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