Very well executed

Load of rubbish!!

Disturbing yet enthralling

Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

If you want to skip the details - The Night Manager has a very bland first episode but the rest of the series picks up dramatically with fantastic acting from the whole cast and stunning filming locations. I was blown away by the camera work and how seamlessly all the scenes were edited together. I highly recommend this to people who love the spy genre or just love beautiful aesthetics in film. For my break down, I'd like to begin with the first episode. It almost seemed like it was filmed for a different show. Maybe it was the pilot and so it didn't have as big of a budget or the dialogue hasn't been tuned as finely as the later episodes but if I didn't give it a second chance then I would have missed out on a great series. The first episode has a lot of flaws. The extras in the Arab Spring scene looked very fake and really through me out of the moment. I should have been concentrating on Tom Hiddleston appearing for the first time but I couldn't look away from the obvious set pieces and terrible extras in the background. Then we get to the second problem of the first episode, Hiddleston is not very believable as a night manager that has a sudden affair with an Egyptian socialite. His character was supposed to have been through two wars yet he carries himself with zero confidence. It doesn't help that he has a very posh accent and yet his character was supposed to have come from humble beginnings. Aure Atika and Tom Hiddleston had no chemistry and that's why it was hard to believe that his character, Pine, would find his raison d'etre in her death and base his whole mission on getting revenge for a woman he has only known for a couple days.Fortunately, Hiddleston really digs deeper into his character after the first episode and he becomes believable as a man that is plucked from his mundane life and finds himself surrounded by some of the most dangerous men in the world. Hugh Laurie did a fantastic job. Even after all those years of playing House, he can easily switch characters and become almost unrecognizable. Olivia Colman did a wonderful job conveying stressful situations that would have fallen flat had she not been in the scene. This show really shines during one on one scenes and panoramic displays of the locations. If you're stuck on episode one and aren't sure if you want to continue, you can easily skip that episode and enjoy the eye candy for the rest of the series.

Beware spoilers please.In an age of repeat showing, catch up and on-demand TV, somehow I managed to miss The Night Manager series. The main anecdotal feedback was Hugh Laurie's masterful performance as the main villain and the quality of the drama itself. I finally bought the DVD and sat down to watch what I expected to be a masterpiece. The Night Manager can be considered a masterpiece if you compare it to most of the dross played daily in multi-channel TV land. But judged alone, it certainly is not a masterpiece, instead it is average at best mainly due to those who managed the creative process. There are some decent moments; the weaponry display, the Egypt crowd opening and the interplay between Tom Hiddleston and Aure Atika. It is a shame that Atika's character is not developed as she has great screen presence and was a worthy foil for Pine.The problems essentially stem from the presence of 10 executive producers who have proceeded to produce the inevitable camel instead of the thoroughbred horse. The plot whilst proceeding at a fair enough pace, is full of holes and many times you will need to forget you have an IQ to find watch you are watching believable. Examples ? Pine returning to the Egyptian hotel where he spent 5 years working at and be recognised by no-one. A heavily pregnant character managing to evade pregnancy flying regulations whilst simultaneously putting her unborn child in mortal danger while carrying a gun she managed to get past Egypt airport security. My particular highlight is that in the digital age, Roper still prefers having print outs of highly sensitive information which would be ruinous for him if discovered, which he then keeps in in a desk drawer in his office. Hugh Laurie's supposed famed performance provides instead the most frustrating aspect of the series. The mistake made was to not have him do anything bad at the show beginning to establish his villain credentials. Instead, we witness a bumbling fool who will trust a complete stranger over his closest ally. His lines also completely remove any air of menace; the more he witters on, the less chilling he becomes. If the Director had wanted him to purvey menace, she should have watched Michael Corleone in Godfather Part II. Corleone says only the minimum amount required and is all the more chilling for it. Laurie instead waffles on and on. Laurie was not also helped by the script giving him henchman called "Frisky" "Corky" and "Tabby"; names which do not strike fear in the heart.Tom Hiddleston is not much better; this is the only role I have seen him in and from the look of it, it feels he spent his whole time at drama school perfecting his icy stare. His character also suffers from a lack of a decent back story and which means his motivation to become a Night Manager and to then remember he has Bond like qualities are not explained and therefore not appreciated by the viewer.Supporting characters do not compensate; Tom Hollander's character delivers lines as though playing a bitchy celebrity hairdresser. He is also supposedly a fearsome operator who then proceeds to lose badly the only fight he enters into. Olivia Colman delivers her lines as if she is playing a West Country School Dinner Lady whose kitchen has run out of carrots. There simply is not any trace of top civil servant in her portrayal. I would have much preferred someone like Anna Maxwell Martin or Vicky McClure in the role.Given the sheer scale, cost and complexity of the whole series, this really needed a strict Director. Instead we got direction based on long lingering shots of Elizabeth Debecki in various states of undress (odd for a female Director to do) and Hiddleston's supposedly smoldering eyes. Action shots were generally handled well but the party scenes just had that hideous feel of British thespians having a jolly good time rather than receiving tight direction. The BBC is now under serious competition in the quality drama stakes. The Crown is a great example of what the BBC used to produce but now the independents have stolen their thunder. If the BBC wants to do more Bond style drama then it needs its creatives to be tougher with each other on what is needed to deliver quality output.

The night manager of a Cairo hotel called Jonathan Pine , Tom Hiddleston , is recruited by an organization commanded by Angela Burr , Olivia Coleman , to infiltrate a weapons dealer , Hugh Laurie. As he gets involved with the sweetheart , Elizabeth Debicki , of the mobster and his hoodlums :Tom Hollander , Alistair Petrie.This is a suspenseful series plenty of emotion , intrigue , thrills ,crosses and double-crosses . The extreme intrigue and tension are extended from start to finish .This expensive miniseries is considered to be the most lavish TV drama in the history of BBC. Extraordinary acting by main cast , Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie , both of whom give magnificent performances . Support cast is frankly awesome as Douglas Hodge , Tom Hollander, Tobias Menzies , Alistair Petrie , David Harewood , Antonio De La Torre, and special mention for the pregnant Olovia Coleman.This was well rendered from a novel by prestigious author John Le Carre who has been adapted on cinema several times, such as: The spy who came in from the Cold , Call for the dead, Tinker , soldier and spy ,The little drummer girl, The tailor of Panama , The Russian house , The constant gardener , The most wanted man ,among others. The motion picture was compellingly directed by Susanne Bier .Debut TV miniseries for filmmaker Bier who has previously shot several foreign language theatrical feature movies such as: Brothers , Serena, In a better world , Second chance , Things we lost in the fire , After wedding . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Michael Snyman shot on marvelous locations from Spain , United Kingdom , Turkey , Egypt ,and Switzerland . Suspenseful and thrilling musical score by Victor Reyes. In 2016, it garnered 12 Emmy nominations including outstanding lead actor Tom Hiddleston , supporting players for both Hugh Laurie and Olivia Coleman , outstanding filmmaking for a miniseries for filmmaker Susanne Biet and writing for writer David Farr , but this renditíon is updated to the present day and it is not set in the era of the time John Le Carre source novel that was published in 1993.

A 3rd class series with 1st class cast which is full of clichés and illogicality. Let's check them;-A 8-10 years old kid tells our inside man that "his father has a secret room and they check the alarm at 11:00 everyday." this is like "hey agent, feel free to enter that room whenever you want"-Fall in love with the mistress of mafia: checked -Tell his mistress to learn the "secret code" of the "secret safe" : checked -Give $600m to a man you met a few months ago, especially if you are an "arms dealer": checked And for your information; There is no "kurdistan" in that region, stop trying to promote it. and stop telling "british people is very sad about the kids who dies there every day" lie. We all know you don't give a sh.t about what's happenin in middle east.