The Night Manager (2016) - Review

Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, Tom Hollander & Elizabeth Debicki

Written By: David Farr

Directed By: Susanne Bier

Certificate: 15

 

Adapted from the novel of the same name by John Le Carre, The Night Manager is one of the most acclaimed shows of 2016. A co-production between the BBC and American network AMC, the series has also been sold to over 180 countries. Meanwhile, it has been nominated for pretty much every award under the sun, including best lead and supporting actor awards, as well as best director, best writer, best music etc. It's clear that The Night Manager has great ambition and promises much, but can it live up to such high expectations and still deliver?

 

During the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, hotel night manager Jonathan Pine meets and eventually falls in love with Sophie Alekan, the mistress of local playboy Freddie Hamid. Sophie reveals confidential documents to Jonathan that expose a shady arms deal between the Hamids and billionaire Richard Roper – but Sophie's acts lead to her brutal death. Four years later, in Switzerland, Jonathan crosses paths with Roper once again. With the help of London-based intelligence operative Angela Burr, and aid from Washington D.C., Jonathan must infiltrate Roper's arms-dealing organisation and expose their corrupt deals.

 

The Night Manager may be adapted from the 1993 novel of the same name (with author John Le Carre making a guest appearance in Episode 4), but the original book isn't anything I've read, so there won't be many comparisons here. However, what is clear is that this adaptation has done a terrific job of updating the original to feel more in sync with today's world. For example, Jonathan Pine is now present during the Egyptian Revolution, and the character Leonard Burr is now being played by Olivia Colman as Angela Burr. David Farr's interpretation of the original source material is exquisite – it's deep, well-written and entirely engaging. The complexity of, and just how far the deals between Roper and his fellow conspirators go, feels very realistic and provides an abundant sense of mystery and intrigue throughout. There isn't an episode that goes by where we don't at least learn something new about any of the characters, or learn more about the shady arms deals. David Farr has further brought a cyclical narrative to The Night Manager, which sees Jonathan return to Cairo in the final episode. Seeing Jonathan return to the city after the events of the first episode gives the whole series a completed feel, with all the loose plot threads from the first episode being brought to a resolution in the finale. Not to mention, the last twenty minutes of Episode 6 are wholly satisfying, bringing Jonathan and Roper to a proper face-off; though I won't spoil what happens entirely, but needless to say you won't be left disappointed.

 

Something I'm very sure a lot of people will pick up on when watching, is that the whole series is completely dripping with tension and suspense. Each and every episode has wonderful moments of dramatic tension, such as the wait to see whether Jonathan will be welcomed into Roper's inner-circle, whether Corky will expose his true nature, whether Jonathan and Jed's secret relationship will be discovered, or even if Geoffrey will be able to put an end to Angela's investigation. The odds constantly feel stacked against our heroes, and even simpler things such as Angela having to defend herself and Jed from one of Roper's guards in the final episode are laced with suspense. Simply put, the series never allows you to leave the edge of your seat, and by the end of each episode, you'll be eager to watch the next.

 

A big part of what makes The Night Manager such an enthralling watch are the lead performances from Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie. Whenever the two share a scene, the drama and tension goes through the roof, and we know that these two characters are equals and can hold their own against the other. A huge well done has to go to the series' casting directors, as looking back I can't imagine anyone who could have done a better job with the source material than Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie in these two roles. I've heard some criticize Tom Hiddleston in the lead role, saying that he's just playing himself or that this is just a glorified audition for him to be the next James Bond … but is that really so much of a problem? Jonathan makes for an incredibly charming and likeable main character, and this is a role very well suited for Tom Hiddleston. Hugh Laurie's role as the villainous Richard Roper was certainly the biggest surprise of the series. Up to now, I've only admittedly been familiar with Hugh Laurie's hilarious roles in the Blackadder series (particularly Blackadder Goes Forth), and from that I would never have guessed that he had it in him to bring such a despicable character to life with such a masterful performance. Like Jonathan, Roper is a very charming man, but what separates him is that Roper is rotten and corrupt to the core, but crucially, he's smart too, always making sure that his name is never on any incriminating evidence and it always feels as though he's one step ahead of everyone else.

 

Not only do we have Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie giving outstanding performances, we also have a cast-iron strong array of supporting characters. Olivia Colman stands out the most as Angela Burr, an honest and determined woman entirely committed to bringing down Roper and his business. Olivia Coleman works well with David Harewood as American agent Joel Steadman, and we genuinely get the impression that the two share a past as well as a strong friendship. I also want to point out that the image of a pregnant Angela Burr defending herself from a thug in a hotel room, during the last episode, is one of the best and most impactful images of the show. Both Tom Hollander and Tobias Menzies make for strong supporting villains as Corky and Jonathan respectively, and while we dislike both of these men, they are still clearly different from one another, and with different motivations. If there's a weak-link to be found among this strong group of characters, it would sadly have to be Roper's wife Jed. Jed never really progresses to become anything more than a damsel in distress, or anything more than to encourage Jonathan to see his mission against Roper through to the end. This is a shame, especially when we remember that Elizabeth Debicki is doing everything she can with the role, but ends up being held back. Not even the romance between Jed and Jonathan feels all that genuine – again, both Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Debicki do their best and make an attractive on-screen couple, but the chemistry between the two isn't really there.

 

In years to come, I personally think that The Night Manager will be largely remembered for how utterly stunning it looks. Off the top of my head, I don't honestly think that I could name a better-looking TV series than this one. With location shooting in Egypt, London, Switzerland, Majorca, Madrid, Monaco, Istanbul, as well as scenes set in America and on the Syrian border, the show feels absolutely massive and truly global. The characters never stay in one place, or even one country, for too long, and the series is all the better for it. Each and every location looks gorgeous, from the bright and colourful settings in Europe, to the contrast of beautiful hotels and mob-heavy streets in the Middle East, to even the more washed out and cramped London office where Angela works. The budget for the series has been estimated at being somewhere between $20m and $30m, and that feels about right and just from everything we see on screen, the money has clearly been spent well. The look and feel of the series is bolstered even further thanks to stunning and stylish direction from Susanne Bier, who demonstrates a wide range of cinematic techniques and took home a well-deserved Emmy Award for her fantastic work.

 

Aside from the issues I've already talked about surrounding the character of Jed, I only have one other complaint about The Night Manager, and that concerns the pacing of the series. As I've said, the whole series is well-written and tense throughout, but it isn't until we come towards the end of the third episode that the series really gets going, though with the exception of a strong opening episode. At the start of the series, it feels as though it's attempting a slow build-up, and I don't have a problem with that, but it ends up feeling a bit too slow. Episode 2 and a fair amount of Episode 3 feel noticeably slower and less engaging compared to other episodes, as we mostly follow Jonathan as he starts to ease his way into Roper's inner-circle. Personally, I think the series may have been able to solve this by being slightly shorter in length – perhaps a five-episode structure could have been a better idea than six episodes.

 

Overall, it's not hard to see why The Night Manager was such a hit with viewers, and why it became a best-seller for so long at places like the BBC Store. It's isn't perfect, and though I see where they're coming from, I wouldn't go quite as far as some other reviews in naming it the greatest series of all time, but there are still so many more positives to be found than negatives. It's certainly the best-looking series I've seen for a good while, features awards-worthy performances all round and is entirely packed with tension. As adaptations go, this is a series to be proud of, and I'm pretty sure that it's done John Le Carre's original novel proud.

 

 

The Night Manager



8/10