Least Important Things
A podcast about celebrating the most important of the least important things in our lives.
Least Important Things
Spy Thriller Golden Age
We are living in a golden age of the spy thriller across TV and film. Uncover why this genre has seen a recent uptick in popularity and what entries stand above the rest.
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Sources for this episode:
- Royalty-free music and sound effects via Artlist.com
- "Black Bag" by David Holmes from BLACK BAG
- BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14
- Slow Horses : Season 1 - Official Opening Credits / Intro (Apple TV+' series) (2022)
- Stephen Visits Gary Oldman In London To Talk "Slow Horses," The Show That Fell From The Sky
- Slow Horses-Jackson Lamb/Gary Oldman |AppleTv+
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Official US Trailer
- GOLDENEYE | 007 Meets Xenia Onatopp – Pierce Brosnan, Famke Janssen | James Bond
- The James Bond Theme (From the Film 'Dr. No')
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Like, there's a few times where I was like, I don't know if I was hanging on, but like, it's fine. You're like, it's beautiful to look at, beautiful people, beautiful clothes, beautiful lighting. I don't really get it. I still don't feel like, if you ask me to tell you the entire thing, I really don't know. I think those are fun movies because then you can rewatch them again and then, like, the second time you watch it, you, like, kind of understand it more. Yeah, it's one of That is the sound of my wife and I exiting the Regal Cinema Theaters here in Chicago after a viewing of the film Black Bag. Now I was predisposed to love this movie and have a great reaction out of the theater. It's from one of my favorite directors, Steven Soderbergh. The cast is incredible. Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Regé-Jean Page, Naomi Harris, and Pierce Brosnan. Now, this is a familiar story to professional spies living together, married, that are going through a turbulent time, secrets, espionage, backstabbing, surveillance, all these things that you would expect from this type of scenario. But I think what Black Bad captured is the sleek style of the genre. This is a genre that goes back to the 1950s. The spy thriller. We are living in a golden age of the spy thriller. And yes, this genre has been popular since cinema's inception, but now the frequency of these shows both as a marketable product and quality of stories is because of the place we're living in now. In our culture, when you think about the best spy genres, it happens during the Cold War. From Fleming to Licari to Clancy, these spy stories are all centered around the global tension of the Cold War. Not every story is associated with the Cold War, but it is always there. It is always present. And I think it reflected the fear, the anxiety of the times. That people needed these spy thriller shows to help them understand and process what was happening at the governmental levels between nations, between west versus east, even happening in America. Assassinations, Watergate, all these things are processed through our media. We see reflections of what's happening to the modern culture through film, through television. And I think because that genre became so popular during the Cold War and that era. We understand that people wanted just to process it. What was happening? There was a tension of distrust in the government, in our society, and what was happening. Why does that make us feel better? Why is watching a spy thriller show help us understand the global conflict? I think it comes down to that we didn't know. Conspiracy theory, back channel deals, noise in the media, all these things that are happening are shrouded in mystery, especially back then. Having these spy books, TV shows, and movies Allowed us to use fiction to help understand the circumstances. And it's happening still today. Now we know a lot more about what's happening in the world due to technology. But I think that overall fear and tension is why the spy action genre, why the spy thriller has become so popular recently. But it's technology that I also think holds us back and why I think there's some missing gaps in this genre. Let's break it down. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Look across any streaming site, they probably have a spy thriller TV show that's come out in the past couple years. From Black Doves on Netflix, The Day of the Jackal, which is a remake of the 1970s film to Paramount Plus that has a Michael Fassbender spy thriller. The Agency, which is actually adapted from a French TV show. And even in the cinemas, we're getting films like Black Bag or The Amateur. The spy genre is littered throughout our media. As I said before, it's been constant. It is a classic trope in both television, film, and books. Constantly being adapted, changed, updated, and played with. Black Bag does this very specifically with the title of the lead character played by Michael Fassbender. You asked how it works to be with someone in this business. This is how. You each know what you know and you know what you'll do and you'll never discuss certain things again. His name is George Woodhouse. He's reserved, quiet, and wears dark, thick glasses. Very similar to the George Smiley character from the Licari universe. Played by Alec Guinness in the 1970s TV show with very similar glasses and then later played by Gary Oldman in the 2010 film adaptation. For twenty-five years we've been the only thing standing between Moscow and the Third World War. I'm retired. You're outside the family. You're well placed. What I want from you is one codename. Tinker. Tailor. Soldier. We also have multiple Bond connections here. Of course, one Pierce Brosnan. Name's Bond. James Bond. Former Bond, playing an M character in Black Bag. They tried to hide his coolness factor with some prosthetics and aging, but there was one scene in particular where my wife and I looked at each other and said... That's a movie star. He knows how to wear a suit. Obviously, Naomi Harris played Moneypenny in The Craig Era Bonds and Michael Fassbender himself, who was shortlisted to play Bond before The Craig Era. And Reggie John Page, who has been rumored as a shortlister for the next Bond. So you have all these characters' names swirling around, the style, the plotline. It's all homages to the genre, but it feels different. It feels new. It feels fresh. I think it's the tightness of the story, this movie is an hour and a half, great date movie by the way, but also does something that I think the modern spy genre has struggled with. How do you take modern technology and adapt it in a thrilling way? We saw this in the Bourne cast when we rewatched Jason Bourne, the legacy sequel to the original trilogy featuring Matt Damon. In that film, and like many spy films, the technology makes tracking, espionage, just not that fun. It's really not fun when people just spit out computer jargon. Now, Black Flag is set in the modern era. The way I described it may feel like it's timeless, which it is. I think that's part of it. And when they use modern technology, like drones, GPS, even AI, it's so subtle and built into the character plot, into the tension, That it doesn't take you out of it, but it's a part of the tension of the story. It doesn't take precedent of the characters and what's building in the plot. So therefore it doesn't take you out of the story. It feels like there's something at stake. It makes me probably sound like an old curmudgeon, but I think there's something special about the tradition of spycraft, the analog nature of spycraft. Some of the best scenes in spy action thrillers are contacts meeting with agents on a park bench, meeting rooms filled with tension, Knowing there's a mole in their present. Or a spy taking the bullets out of his enemy's gun without him knowing. It's these subtle small things that make this genre so fun to play with. And so fun to engage with as fans. And that's why we're still seeing them today. I think another problem with our modern spy genre is tone. And it is associated with technology. I think it's really hard to strike a tone with spy genres today. It's either overly serious or going on the fantastic and relying more on violence than actual tension, espionage, writing, and acting. And cinematography. Besides Black Bag, I think there's another spy action story that I think is threading the needle of all the things I'm talking about today. Slow horses. Surrounded by losers, misfits, and boosers. Hang in. I mentioned Gary Oldman before, and in Slow Horses, he plays Jackson Lamb, the slovenly and cantankerous leader of Slough House. The slow horses, which essentially are all the rejected agents from MI5. It's the B team. It's the losers. I don't normally do these kind of speeches, but this feels like a big moment. I know it's not easy being banished from MI5 to my department, but that's on you. Only screw-ups get sent to Slough House, and I've gotta be honest. Working with you has been the lowest point in a disappointing career. Gary Oldman, who typically doesn't do long form interviews, was recently interviewed by Stephen Colbert. It's an amazing interview. You should watch it all. But he shared a little bit about the backstory of choosing this part. Especially after playing such an iconic role in George Smiley in the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy adaptation. So here's this golden age of television. And I said to him, God, wouldn't it be lovely to just sort of do a show and like repeat a character. And I said, but it would have to be very well written of a high pedigree. I said, I don't really want to wear a wig. I've worn too many wigs. I don't want to wear prosthetic makeup because I've worn too much of that. I said, so I don't want to sit in the makeup chair very long. I said, And I want to kind of wear some, I don't want a big elaborate costume. I want something, you know, that's kind of easy. I don't really want to do an accent. I'd like something closer to my own voice. And, um, oh, and if it could be in the spy world, you know, like, uh, like the car ride or something, that would be even better. And then we're sitting on a plane together. And he's chuckling over a script he's reading. And I said, well, what are you laughing at? I said, is it that good? And he said, well, I'm reading a character who is just about to become your best friend. Slow Horses, again set in modern day, threads that needle of using modern technology but not relying on it for the plot. Focusing on characters, focusing on tension. Not using gratuitous violence and having actual stakes when things happen. Using humor to connect us with these lovable losers. That makes us feel something when they're put in harm's way. Above all, these characters feel real. They're not these superhero characters like James Bond. They're a lot like us. They're not chiseled, super intelligent. Perfect type of spies. They're government employees. They are espionage experts that have made mistakes and are trying to redeem themselves. And Lam is at the center of it all. The seemingly aloof character disarms everybody. But as we understand it, Lam is really one step ahead of everybody. I saw you. You got here first, then left to keep me waiting. That's because I knew you. By watching and waiting so you could arrive after me. What a pair we are. Made for each other. Out of all these spy thrillers that are happening, there's some good, there's some bad, but it's really black bag and slow horses that stand apart from the rest. Out of all the spy thrillers that are happening, what these two stories tell us about ourselves is that sometimes we don't necessarily need the dark. Sometimes we don't need the absurd. Sometimes we need something in the middle. The gray. That shows both the good and the bad. That uses humor. That uses beauty. That uses light. That uses character to help us understand the complexities of this world. What we find in Black Bag and Slow Horses is a sincerity, even though they are fictitious creations, that they're not real. Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett's Townhome is probably not accurate to government employees. Jackson Lamb's attitude and public flatulence would not allow him to keep a job in government. Oh, yeah. I'd hang back if I were you. Of course. I have just let one rip it, it's a killer. But through the fantasy, we can understand that living in the gray of our times, the unknowns, the fears, the global tension, it's not about the X's and O's, the them versus us. It's about the people you connect with. It's about the people that matter most. Our spouses. Our community. Our coworkers. And even though we're all different and unique, we can be okay with the unknowns. We can find a way through. Survive. Continue. Together. Long may this golden era of spy thrillers continue because if we get more things like Black Bag and Slow Horses, I'm going to be a very happy consumer of pop culture for years to come. No matter the conflict, the dealings, the spying that happens around us. I really think that their direction was Victoria Beckham. For her. Yeah. Like, just the sass. The hair out the strut. The sass, yeah. The, like, yeah. It's important, but I'm in charge. It kind of is very, like, the relationship. It was very, the Beckham's like, yeah, it's. I just recorded our conversation for the podcast. It's my espionage. Least Important Things is a podcast about the most important of the least important things in our lives. It's hosted and created by me, Luke Ferris. Logo and brand design by Curtis Felton. Executive produced by Jay Ferris. If you like this genre, go check out The Bourne Cast and Podcast Impossible. They are both rewatched miniseries here on Least Important Things and on YouTube where you can Follow us, listen with us as we revel in these two huge spy action franchises. I think it's a good connection to this episode and showcasing how these big films Have changed the way this genre is displayed, showcased, and marketed at a wide scale on the big screen. If you want to connect with the show, you can visit our website, www.leastimportantthings.com. You can connect with me directly on Instagram at Luke H. Ferris. We have a TikTok at least important things, and you can email the show at least important things at gmail.com. And until next time, I'll talk to you soon. Thank you. Thank you.
