It seems that The Agency is doing something different than other spy thrillers. Whether that works is up to quite the debate. Despite being called “deeply engrossing” by some critics — and even “one of the year’s best character studies” by our own Matt Mahler’s review— the espionage thriller only managed a 46% on Rotten Tomatoes. Guess that means you’re going to have to decide whether you want to watch the new Richard Gere and Michael Fassbender show on your own, huh?
The Agency is an adaptation of Eric Rochant’s French series The Bureau; in its American iteration, the new show breaks down the personal and psychological turmoil that awaits the CIA agents when contending with the lifestyle and high risks that comes with a job that requires lying and evading and putting your life in danger all the time.
To understand where that number comes from, let’s look at what critics around the web have said about the series thus far, shall we?
What Are Critics Saying About ‘The Agency’ And Why Is Its RT Score Only 45%?
At Variety, reviewer Aramide Tinubu called Fassbender “sharp and stoic,” adding that The Agency digs into something a little unique compared to its counterparts: their psyches. “Secret agents and spies are often depicted as effortlessly sexy, composed individuals who aren’t triggered or moved by their dangerous jobs,” Tinubu said. “The Agency slices through this facade.”
At The Hollywood Reporter, Daniel Fienberg explained that the show “has many things going for it. The cast … is bursting with erudite professionalism, and the scripts … occasionally complement their intelligence. Directed in its initial installments by Joe Wright, the series looks terrific and sometimes builds suspense.” What it lacks, however “is much consistency. Each of the three chapters sent to critics has a different set of attributes and different points of frustration, which in turn add up to an overall frustration.”
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At The Daily Beast, Nick Schager called the show “a crisp, methodical thriller” and “one of the year’s best” despite a too on-the-nose song choice in an early episode. Over at TheWrap, Zaki Hasan called it “cliche-heavy.”
The New York Times’ Margaret Lyons put it thusly:
“Fassbender’s mesmerizing performance is the biggest draw here, giving viewers a real taste of what it’s like to love a liar. We’re never quite sure what his angle is, how much of his seemingly vulnerable moments are all part of the game. He finds an intriguing sparring partner in the agency’s therapist (Harriet Sansom Harris), with whom he is required to meet on account of how hard it is to reintegrate into real life after living undercover for so long. Other story lines for secondary and tertiary characters feel comparatively unmoored. But on the whole, it’s all very slick and overtly, pleasingly fancy-schmancy.”
And finally, Joel Keller at Decider managed a simple and succinct sum-up in these words: “Saying that something is ‘less than the sum of its parts’ is cliché, of course, but it’s a very apt way to describe shows like The Agency. The show has an amazing cast, and a look that makes it seem more contemplative than the average spy thriller. Yet we came away from the first episode wondering why there didn’t seem to be more propulsive stories.”Now it must be said that critics only got to see between 3-4 episodes out of the 10 this season will ultimately be, so there’s still plenty more left to be seen. As Feinberg put it, “it’s completely possible that these elements could come together fluidly by the end of the first season, or that what feels like disjointedness could turn out to be versatility.”So, basically: if you want to watch The Agency, just do it! Life’s too short to make your choices on other people’s opinions.
The Agency (2024)
A fresh take on the critically acclaimed hit French drama Le Bureau des Legendes, the all-new political thriller follows Martian (Michael Fassbender), a covert CIA agent, ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, his real identity and his mission are pitted against his heart; hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.
- Release Date
- November 29, 2024
- Cast
- Michael Fassbender , Jeffrey Wright , Richard Gere , Jodie Turner-Smith , Katherine Waterston , John Magaro , Alex Reznik , Andrew Brooke , Harriet Sansom Harris , India Fowler , Saura Lightfoot Leon , Reza Brojerdi
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount+
- Release Window
- 2024
- Character(s)
- Martian , Henry , Bosko , Sami Zahir , Naomi , Owen , Coyote , Grandpa , Dr Blake , Poppy , Danny , Reza