TURN: Washington's Spies
TURN: Washington's Spies
TV-14 | 06 April 2014 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • Reviews
    Protraph

    Lack of good storyline.

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    ChicRawIdol

    A brilliant film that helped define a genre

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    Guillelmina

    The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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    Lela

    The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

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    funluvver

    Because of the ongoing story, perhaps this show is best binge-watched on Netflix than waiting week-over-week for next episodes as many critics back in 2014 and 2015 surely did, but I was enthralled from about the 3rd episode until the end. I finished all the seasons in short order and I am quite sad there are no more.I understand shows like this are never going to be perfectly accurate - after all, they want to make certain aspects more entertaining for viewers. But the whole idea of this story is thrilling to me, and it caused me to research the actual facts of basically every character in the show. The show strengthened the characters as the seasons went along and none of them really fell apart, which can be common when you have this many characters. The writing was superb and equally matched by the collective acting and their interpretations of the characters.The final episode did very well to wrap this up and provide closure to the viewer on all characters, which many series do not. This show as a 10 for me.

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    patrick powell

    Here on IMDb users' reviews and elsewhere Turn: Washington's Spies has been castigated for 'historical inaccuracies', and I don't doubt the series is guilty of changing the facts to suit itself. For example, Anna Strong and Abe Woodhull, part of the Culper Ring of spies, were not romantically involved and, furthermore, Strong was ten years older than Woodhull, and apparently there are many more instances where the series doesn't stack up with what we know about the spy ring. But that begs the question: is AMC's series intended as an historical document or as entertainment? If the former, if the series was produced as a documentary, then certainly playing fast and loose with what historians have established really happened is unacceptable. But it doesn't to me seem that it was.AMC is in the entertainment business, and I think we can be sure that Turn was intended more as commercial evening entertainment than has a history lecture. But that doesn't mean it is all fictional and 'made up' or not in any way worthwhile. In fact, I think it has struck the right note between a broadly historical account and out-and-out fiction rather well, especially for a US company: I have watched too many American films and series which have laid on the patriotic schmaltz rather to much for me to have acquired a taste for it (Designated Survivor, and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln and the thoroughly dishonest Amistad spring to mind. It might be worthwhile if parts of America took to heart the observation by non-Americans that no country on Earth prides itself on being 'the second greatest nation in the world').Dealing as it does with the beginnings of the war of independence, AMC seems to get it right not to stick to the Dick and Dora version of history so love by Hollywood of a 'freedom-loving people struggling to shake off the yoke of British tyranny'. If only it had been that simple (though many Americans still like to push that line).Obviously, there are many different interpretations of the genesis and motivation for the formation of the Continental Congress and its aftermath. But one of these interpretations is that essentially the struggle for independence was by some of the ruling classes in the colonies who simply wanted to call all the shots rather than just some of them and most certainly not on behalf of a king several thousand miles away. Oh, and they also wanted to keep more of their money. There is scant evidence of a 'popular uprising' by 'the people' who had come to hate the king, and as revolt against the Crown and his representatives in the colonies grew, many remained loyal to the king simply because independence would make very little, if any, practical difference to their lives: it didn't matter who they were paying rent to or for whom they toiled: they still had to pay rent and still had to toil for a pittance, and were hounded if they didn't.Essentially the colonies were divided, and war was, at first at least, civil war, and AMC's Turn conveys that sense well. Many of the 'Americans' were, in fact, British, some third and fourth generation, who had settled in the colonies and who, crucially, still regarded themselves as British.As for the production itself, Turn deserves a lot more bouquets than brickbats (in fact, so far I can't even think of a brickbat I might want to wield). The actors are all well-cast and persuasive, the direction is unobtrusive (and successfully avoids pretty much all patriotic grandstanding and posturing), the story neatly interweaves the political and historical with the personal, and there is, thankfully, none of that 'olde English' 18th-century speak which can mar and jar just as much as using modern anachronism. (So far no one has said anything along the lines of 'General Washington, I've got to do this thing, for me its personal!' and we can thank God for small mercies.)So if you come across Turn and are tempted to look in, do so by all means. It does a good job very well, although given the period it covers, you will be disappointed if you crave bucketloads of patriotic syrup and a rousing soundtrack. I, you might have gathered, don't.

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    JangoFettsHead

    If you have not started to watch this show yet, you are truly missing out on something special. From the cast, to the stories told in the show, you will be hooked and left wanting more at the end of every episode. The cast and characters in this show were simply amazing, and I very much enjoyed Jamie Bell taking the lead as Abe Woodhull. Trust me when I say this, you are going to hate John Simcoe, but that is the genius of his character, and he is always around. The other main characters all have their moments of strength and weakness, and they add so much to this show. The plot follows the Culper Spy Ring, a relatively unknown detail to the Revolutionary War, at least to me. It follows the life of Abraham Woodhull, and how he becomes a spy, and the problems that come with it. Abe is not the only focus, as we see Ben Tallmadge, Brewster, Anna Strong, Mary Woodhull, and Robert Townsend (Who I enjoyed very much). Although they were on the wrong side of the battle, Major Hewlett and John Andre are good characters who you may enjoy. And with these widely unknown people, you have the likes of General Washington and Benedict Arnold. If you are into American History, you should definitely check out this show, because while it is not completely accurate, it still teaches you a lot, while being very entertaining. You WILL love this show, and you will not regret watching it.This is one of AMC's most slept on shows, that gets shoved aside for Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, when in all honesty, this show is right up there with them. Give it a shot people!

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    mawsis

    I have watched TURN from the beginning and I am sorry to see it end. It is a fabulous show on the history of our nation and the people who gave of themselves to create the USA. I would like to thank AMC for sticking with the wonderful show to the end and Alexander Rose for writing such a tremendous book from where the show is adapted.School children of all ages should watch this series.

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