Amazon Prime’s ‘dark’ new crime thriller shocked me for an unexpected reason

This Metro review is based on three out of six episodes.

I love a good thriller. Who doesn’t? The way that the high-octane action sends adrenaline racing through your veins. The cliché tropes that you can see coming from a mile away, but that you can’t help but lap up all the same.

Going into The Assassin, starring Bodyguard’s Keeley Hawes and The Good Doctor’s Freddie Highmore, I was expecting to enjoy it. But the impact it had on me took me off guard in a way I wasn’t expecting.

The new Amazon Prime series created by The Tourist’s Harry and Jack Williams isn’t just packed with gripping twists and stunt choreography that’ll have you on the edge of your seat. It’s also funny. And not just enough to spark a light chuckle. It’s funny in a quintessentially British fashion, with humour that’s dry and relatable. I was sucked in straight away.

In a tale that one YouTube user commenting on the trailer described as ‘Lara Croft meets Norman Bates’, referencing roles previously played by Keeley and Freddie, The Assassin follows a former hitwoman who’s forced to come out of retirement.

Julie (Keeley) is the titular assassin, who’s been out of the business for years and, in the present day, has a grown-up son called Edward (Freddie). The pair have a fractured relationship, especially considering how reluctant Julie is to divulge any details on the identity of Edward’s father, a mystery that will undoubtedly unravel as the series goes on.

Having not seen his mum in a while, Edward pays her a visit on the remote Greek island where she’s now living. What begins as an awkward meet-up between an estranged mother and son quickly turns into a fight for their lives when a terrifying incident occurs.

Amid the chaos while they’re on the run, Julie finally reveals to her son what she used to do for a living, having previously told him that she was a headhunter (not the most inaccurate description of her profession). But the uber-cautious journalist Edward also has secrets of his own that he has been keeping concealed.

It’s mind-boggling to me that Freddie, 33, and Keeley, 49, haven’t worked together before when their on-screen chemistry is this dynamic. Metro had the opportunity to attend an early screening of the first episode of The Assassin, followed by a Q&A session with the writers and actors.

Even there in London’s Soho Hotel, you could tell how in tune the pair were with each other, making it clear why they work so well as an on-screen mother-son duo. We recently spoke to Freddie (more on that to come), during which he explained how he and Keeley had been on the same page from the get-go. I hope we get to see them work together again in the future.

The Assassin begins all guns blazing – literally – with a flashback to Julie’s past, when she’s still in full swing as a highly-trained assassin in her younger years (played by Georgina Bitmead). Fast-forward three decades, and her days as an unstoppable killing machine are behind her. Or so it would seem.

Shortly after Edward arrives on the Greek island where she now lives, Julie is reluctantly drawn back into her former profession. But the mission she’s been tasked with doesn’t go to plan, and she goes from being the predator to the prey, with Edward in tow.

Keeley and Freddie are joined in the cast by actors including Shalom Brune-Franklin as Kayla, Devon Terrell as Ezra, Alan Dale as Aaron Cross, Jack Davenport as Sean, and Gina Gershon as Marie. Julie’s failed mission appears to be connected to secretive business dealings, as well as a tech whiz called Jasper (David Dencik), who’s been holed up in an Albanian prison.

I was immediately enraptured by The Assassin’s fast-paced action and cleverly choreographed fight sequences, as well as the wry British wit embodied by Julie and Edward as they strive to make something of their awkward relationship. Despite the wild twists and turns of the story, it still feels relatable and grounded at its core.

Julie’s no-nonsense wisecracks are a joy to watch, as is Edward’s bumbling nature as he’s forced to grapple with his entire world being flipped upside down. While he’s the sensible one, his mother lives life on the reckless side – an entertaining subversion of the typical roles played by a parent and child.

It’s Mamma Mia combined with Taken, with a dash of Black Doves thrown in for good measure. Having only seen the first three episodes out of six so far, I feel as though the series still has room to grow to give me the level of TV-watching satisfaction that I crave as an avid fan of the genre. I can’t predict how the show will end – but I’m firmly strapped in.

The Assassin is now available to watch on Prime Video in the UK & Ireland.

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