Undescribable Perfection

Lack of good storyline.

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

As for Cold War events, the Brits and lately the Germans as well have produced so many good series that, from time to time, one might wonder that is it possible to outmatch them, to possess good framework and maintaining thrill, yet without insipid cliches. It is to my liking to announce that The Game has got into the list of the best of them in every aspect: there are lots of twists and turns, including each episode ending, the cast is even and distinguished, the mood and era have skilfully captured, and - last but not least - high-society British English is heard all the time. Well, one might ponder if the situation in the UK was then so harsh and unpredictable, with suspicious persons in the very top of the society, but all this does not seem ridiculous, as the logic and shift of scenes are motivated. I liked all the episodes, and it is regrettable that only one season was produced. People like Brian Cox, Shaun Doodley, Victoria Hamilton are always pleasant to follow, they have no trivial roles.

What a welcome return to television for this genre, cold war spy thriller, so popular back in the 1980's and for many years criminally absent. The Game was an awesome five part series, incredibly written and scripted, it was dark, pacey, loaded with intrigue and thoroughly engaging.Superbly acted, I've been a little critical of Tom Hughes in the past, a guy that looks like a model I found a little one dimensional, but he silenced me in this, he was outstanding. Brian Cox, Paul Ritter, Judy Parfitt etc all fantastic, but Victoria Hamilton was on another level, always been a fan but here she was unbelievable, an awesome actress.Part 4 was without a doubt one of the best hours of television I have ever watched, outstanding.Utterly devastating that a second series wasn't commissioned, the BBC missed a golden opportunity with both this and Banished. Nevertheless The Game was a magnificent piece of drama, 10/10

Pro: stylish, atmospheric, characters not bad, intriguing premises.Con: too many ridiculous gaffes I don't ask for realism, only that the gaps be not insultingly obvious while you watch. There are many films that while objectively silly at least maintain a kind of internal believability, but The Game fails even simple threshold tests. The huge strains on logic range from the everyday work of spies to the most fundamental twists of the plot. And it's too bad, because if you like Cold War drama, this one seemed so promising, a sort of Tinker Tailor with better looking actors.SPOILERS AHEAD! For example, why does MI5 use agents clearly already known to the KGB to do not-at-all-subtle surveillance? And haven't these people even heard of disguises? My god, they don't even bother to change their clothes! Joe Lamb is always wearing that same overcoat! And just how did a bunch of Soviet sleeper agents get to be in multiple British government positions without apparently ever going through even the most rudimentary of background checks? Seriously, we're asked to believe that none of these functionaries was vetted? That no one noticed they didn't exist until they were 20 or so? Okay, obviously British security has had some major lapses of the Kim Philby variety, but I think even your basic personnel office would catch on to this situation!

Perhaps this reviewed is skewed since I grew up during the Cold War, but although the filming, acting, and atmosphere are spot on, there are inexplicable discrepancies in the plot that simply make no sense. Bodies are knocked out and left prone with no attempt to interrogate. Wire taps are set and the listeners just far away enough not to prevent the obvious disaster. Comedy is interjected at inappropriate moments and seems ridiculous, rather then funny. Also, the writers have thrown historical accuracy to the wind, and the story takes on a "Twilight Zone," science fiction tone. If I provide exact examples, I will spoil the show for those viewers who simply desire snappy entertainment. Thus, I will show restraint. The Game could have been a TV LeCarre, but alas, it is more pop then intrigue.