Michael Fassbender leads a star-studded cast in "The Agency"

November 29, 2024

Courtesy: Paramount+/Showtime

The Agency is the riveting new thriller on Paramount+ with Showtime. It stars the fantastic Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave, Steve Jobs) and a star-studded cast that also includes Richard Gere (Primal Fear, Chicago) and Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen and Slim, Anne Boleyn). The first two of the six-episode series debuted on Paramount+ (with Showtime subscription) on November 29 and will continue through the season finale on December 29, 2024.

Fassbender plays Martian, a covert CIA agent ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, his real identity, and his mission are pitted against his heart—hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.

Based on the 2015 French series The Bureau by Eric Rochant, the series was created by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth and directed by Joe Wright. Executive producers include Keith Cox, Nina L. Diaz, and David Glasser, with producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov.

Courtesy: Paramount+/Showtime

The series stars:

• Michael Fassbender as Martian

• Jeffrey Wright as Henry Ogletree

• Katherine Waterston as Naomi

• John Magaro as Owen

• Richard Gere as Bosko

• Jodie Turner-Smith as Sami Zahir

• Hugh Bonneville as James Richardson

• Curtis Lum as Guo

• Marcin Zarzeczny as Alexei Orekhov

• Violet Verigo as Sandy

• Harriet Sansom Harris as Dr. Blake

• Saura Lightfoot-Leon as Danny

• Andrew Brooke as Grandpa

• India Fowler as Poppy

• Reza Brojerdi as Reza

• Alex Reznik as Coyote

• Adam Nagaitis as Grandma

• Bilal Hasna as Simon

• Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ben

• Sabrina Wu as Raine

• Ambreen Razia as Blair

• Tim Samuels as Alex Kent-Jones

Courtesy: Paramount+/Showtime

The Real Perspectives screened the first three episodes before its debut, and the series is intense and gripping, with many moving parts that will keep viewers highly engaged and on the edge of their seats. Fassenbender is incredible, showcasing his versatile range and proving why the two-time Academy Award nominee is a force to reckon with. He provides Martian with emotional pathos and shows the emotional toil of being covert.

When we first see Martian, he's six years deep undercover in Ethiopia when he is suddenly forced to return to London's CIA office. Complicating matters, Martian has to leave behind his Sudanese girlfriend Sami Zahir. When Martian returns to London, he keeps that tidbit to himself (which will surely come into play later). He has a very difficult time re-adjusting to his life before he left London, and Fassbender shines, showing Martian's struggle. He's also being heavily surveilled which he is none too happy about. We soon find out why he was called back, as another operative has gone missing, and the plot involves Belarus and Ukraine. Another interesting dynamic that will most notably play out as the episodes unfold is the one he has with his trainee, whose first undercover assignment will be in Iran.

The series follows the same format as spy thrillers, and even though the spy genre has been done to death, Fassbender's performance alone with the star-studded cast is worth watching. Fassenbender is utterly sublime, and some of his best scenes are with Jeffrey Wright, the venerable Richard Gere, and an excellent Harriet Sansom Harris.

The series is superbly choreographed, with fantastic action sequences and many twists and turns that make it stand out in the sea of spy thrillers.

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