Latest news with #TheTourist
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Keeley Hawes' complicated assassin is a bit hit (and miss) in manic thriller
The Assassin ★★★ Superficially at least, The Assassin has a lot in common with The Day of the Jackal. A professional killer attempting to juggle domestic life with the nuts and bolts of blood and guts. A secret past that threatens to catch up with our antihero. A vow to quit the old life, but a past that keeps dragging them back in. Tonally, though, The Assassin is a very different beast. Created by English brothers Harry and Jack Williams, it has much more in common with their Australian-set The Tourist. It is manic, improbable, full of coincidences and overlapping character arcs and plot lines. It strives to marry comedy, action and drama, and gets the balance right some of the time, but not always. At the heart of everything is Keeley Hawes as Julie, a would-be retired assassin. We first meet her sprawled out on a deckchair on a beach in Greece, an empty whisky bottle in her lap. Is she having too much fun, or simply trying to drown her sorrows? Turns out, a bit of both. Actually, we first meet her in a prologue set 31 years earlier, in which a masked assassin storms a stronghold (presumably drug dealers, or some other undefined bad guys), defies the odds and takes out everyone, and leaves behind a pile of money that has been offered as an attempted bribe in exchange for sparing the chief baddie's life. The assassin declines on both fronts. Loading Only at the end of the sequence does the balaclava come off, to reveal said assassin is a woman, just as the timer on her wristwatch goes off. She pulls a pregnancy test from her pocket. It's positive. 'F---.' As character sketches go, it's remarkably to the point. Julie is all-action, tough, oddly moral, and a reluctant parent. If only the rest of the show were as efficient. The latter-day Julie is soon joined by her son Edward (Freddie Highmore, from The Good Doctor), a journalist, a vegan, as softly spoken and diffident as she is forthright, fierce and fearless.
The Age
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Keeley Hawes' complicated assassin is a bit hit (and miss) in manic thriller
The Assassin ★★★ Superficially at least, The Assassin has a lot in common with The Day of the Jackal. A professional killer attempting to juggle domestic life with the nuts and bolts of blood and guts. A secret past that threatens to catch up with our antihero. A vow to quit the old life, but a past that keeps dragging them back in. Tonally, though, The Assassin is a very different beast. Created by English brothers Harry and Jack Williams, it has much more in common with their Australian-set The Tourist. It is manic, improbable, full of coincidences and overlapping character arcs and plot lines. It strives to marry comedy, action and drama, and gets the balance right some of the time, but not always. At the heart of everything is Keeley Hawes as Julie, a would-be retired assassin. We first meet her sprawled out on a deckchair on a beach in Greece, an empty whisky bottle in her lap. Is she having too much fun, or simply trying to drown her sorrows? Turns out, a bit of both. Actually, we first meet her in a prologue set 31 years earlier, in which a masked assassin storms a stronghold (presumably drug dealers, or some other undefined bad guys), defies the odds and takes out everyone, and leaves behind a pile of money that has been offered as an attempted bribe in exchange for sparing the chief baddie's life. The assassin declines on both fronts. Loading Only at the end of the sequence does the balaclava come off, to reveal said assassin is a woman, just as the timer on her wristwatch goes off. She pulls a pregnancy test from her pocket. It's positive. 'F---.' As character sketches go, it's remarkably to the point. Julie is all-action, tough, oddly moral, and a reluctant parent. If only the rest of the show were as efficient. The latter-day Julie is soon joined by her son Edward (Freddie Highmore, from The Good Doctor), a journalist, a vegan, as softly spoken and diffident as she is forthright, fierce and fearless.
West Australian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Screen Queen TV Reviews: The Assassin, Outrageous, Sold! The Hunting Wives, Happy Gilmore 2
A prickly, no-effs-to-give menopausal woman who's also a trained assassin? Has there ever been a more terrifying proposition? I think we all know the answer to that one, and it's a resounding no. British screen star Keeley Hawes plays the aforementioned, a woman who was once a feared gun-for-hire, now living out her retirement on an idyllic Greek island, suffering hot flushes and random bouts of irritability like the rest of us. Though she'd probably like to unleash her very particular set of skills on some of the village's more annoying inhabitants — there's a very funny scene where she gets unreasonably peeved with having to wait in line at the butchers for a steak (I've never related to something more) — she's so far managed to rein in her worst impulses and is living a pretty mundane life. That is, until her estranged adult son, played by The Good Doctor's Freddie Highmore, comes to visit, and her entire life is upended. To elaborate would be to spoil things for viewers, but let's just say the show begins as one thing and does a radical 180. By the time you get to the end of the second episode, it's very evident this is something else entirely. I probably should have known it would veer in a different direction — the creative duo responsible for Stan's equally twisty-turny drama The Tourist are also behind this, and it shows. The Williams brothers love a plot twist and a savage fight scene or two, so you can guess where this is headed. Joining Hawes and Highmore is a stellar ensemble cast, including Jack Davenport (a personal fave since my days watching This Life in the 90s), Neighbours legend Alan Dale, Perth-raised Baby Reindeer star Shalom Brune-Franklin and screen siren Gina Gershon. Something tells me this series is going to make quite the splash when it lands. Mark your diaries. Almost a century on from when they were kicking around, the Mitford sisters continue to fascinate and now they're the subject of this period drama. Not heard of these historical ladies? Ooh boy, are you in for a treat as you take a deep dive down the Google hole to research the six wildly different, wildly glamorous aristocratic sisters 'who shocked 1930s Britain with their scandalous choices and deeply divided loyalties'. Think of them as the Kardashians of old, if you will. Nancy was a novelist and probably the most famous of the clan at first. In later years, her sisters Unity and Diana overtook her in the notoriety stakes, the latter by marrying the British fascist leader Oswald Mosley and the former by being close friends with Hitler. Rightly repulsed, Jessica, known as Decca, left home and became a committed communist, well-known journalist and author. Interest piqued? You won't want to miss this one. Spoiler alert: it wasn't anyone under the age of 45! Mark Humphries goes deep into the Aussie housing market to find out why so many of us are locked out of home ownership. Depressing and illuminating in equal measure. Based on May Cobb's book, this series sees Brittany Snow play Sophie, who moves with her family to a new town and becomes close with society queen bee Margot (Malin Akerman). She lives an affluent life in a small East Texas town — but all is not as it seems. Chrissy Metz and Dermot Mulroney also star. The legendary character comes back to life via a sequel, only 30 years in the making. Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald all reprise their roles. Can't wait!
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Keeley Hawes is menopausal and murderous in new TV drama
A prickly, no-effs-to-give menopausal woman who's also a trained assassin? Has there ever been a more terrifying proposition? I think we all know the answer to that one, and it's a resounding no. British screen star Keeley Hawes plays the aforementioned, a woman who was once a feared gun-for-hire, now living out her retirement on an idyllic Greek island, suffering hot flushes and random bouts of irritability like the rest of us. Though she'd probably like to unleash her very particular set of skills on some of the village's more annoying inhabitants — there's a very funny scene where she gets unreasonably peeved with having to wait in line at the butchers for a steak (I've never related to something more) — she's so far managed to rein in her worst impulses and is living a pretty mundane life. That is, until her estranged adult son, played by The Good Doctor's Freddie Highmore, comes to visit, and her entire life is upended. To elaborate would be to spoil things for viewers, but let's just say the show begins as one thing and does a radical 180. By the time you get to the end of the second episode, it's very evident this is something else entirely. Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore in The Assassin, coming to Stan. Credit: Supplied I probably should have known it would veer in a different direction — the creative duo responsible for Stan's equally twisty-turny drama The Tourist are also behind this, and it shows. The Williams brothers love a plot twist and a savage fight scene or two, so you can guess where this is headed. Joining Hawes and Highmore is a stellar ensemble cast, including Jack Davenport (a personal fave since my days watching This Life in the 90s), Neighbours legend Alan Dale, Perth-raised Baby Reindeer star Shalom Brune-Franklin and screen siren Gina Gershon. Something tells me this series is going to make quite the splash when it lands. Mark your diaries. Outrageous is streaming on BritBox. Credit: Supplied Almost a century on from when they were kicking around, the Mitford sisters continue to fascinate and now they're the subject of this period drama. Not heard of these historical ladies? Ooh boy, are you in for a treat as you take a deep dive down the Google hole to research the six wildly different, wildly glamorous aristocratic sisters 'who shocked 1930s Britain with their scandalous choices and deeply divided loyalties'. Think of them as the Kardashians of old, if you will. Nancy was a novelist and probably the most famous of the clan at first. In later years, her sisters Unity and Diana overtook her in the notoriety stakes, the latter by marrying the British fascist leader Oswald Mosley and the former by being close friends with Hitler. Rightly repulsed, Jessica, known as Decca, left home and became a committed communist, well-known journalist and author. Interest piqued? You won't want to miss this one. Sold! Who Broke The Australian Dream is streaming on Binge. Credit: Supplied Spoiler alert: it wasn't anyone under the age of 45! Mark Humphries goes deep into the Aussie housing market to find out why so many of us are locked out of home ownership. Depressing and illuminating in equal measure. Based on May Cobb's book, this series sees Brittany Snow play Sophie, who moves with her family to a new town and becomes close with society queen bee Margot (Malin Akerman). She lives an affluent life in a small East Texas town — but all is not as it seems. Chrissy Metz and Dermot Mulroney also star. Happy Gilmore 2 is streaming on Netflix. Credit: Scott Yamano / Netflix The legendary character comes back to life via a sequel, only 30 years in the making. Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald all reprise their roles. Can't wait!
West Australian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Shalom Brune-Franklin's latest TV project sees her star with Keeley Hawes & Freddie Highmore in The Assassin
Most of us will never get to experience even an inkling of what it's like to live like a one percenter. But for a glorious few months last year, British-born, Perth-raised actor Shalom Brune-Franklin got about as close as any of us are likely to get to living like the super rich during filming of her new drama, The Assassin. The story, created by Harry and Jack Williams (the brotherly creative duo behind Stan's hit series The Tourist) is all about a retired middle-aged assassin, Julie, played by British actress, Keeley Hawes. She reunites with her estranged son Edward (The Good Doctor's Freddie Highmore), who has no idea who his mother really is, only for them both to be thrust headlong into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse after Julie's past unexpectedly catches up with her. Brune-Franklin plays Eddie's fiance Kayla, the daughter of a billionaire, who is holidaying on a super yacht off the coast of the Greek Islands when something happens that forces her into their orbit and on the run together — it's heaps of fun. 'I had wanted to play one of the (super rich) 'one per cent' in, like, forever, mostly because of the amazing locations and the things you get to do and wear — and it was just incredible,' says Brune-Franklin, who is chatting to PLAY from her home in London. 'The first two days of filming we were on this beautiful yacht you see in the first episode — I couldn't complain; it was amazing. 'And then we shot in Athens.' It was a far cry from the actor's last experience working with the Williams brothers on The Tourist. That series shot in outback South Australia amidst the flies, the red dirt and the heat, 'and not that the Australian outback doesn't have its charm — I love eating a chicken parmie or a chicken schnitty in a country pub — but Athens had a few more food options, which we were very grateful for!' Brune-Franklin's recent stint working in Greece is just the latest in a long line of roles that have taken her to all manner of places, for all manner of projects. In the past five years, the accomplished actor, who graduated from WAAPA in 2015, leaving Western Australia for Sydney then London, has starred in some of the must buzzed-about shows in the world — and they've shot just about everywhere. In Australia, there was The Tourist and Binge's acclaimed drama Love Me, then it was over to the UK for roles in Line Of Duty and Great Expectations alongside Olivia Colman. There was time working in Budapest filming last year's Dune: Prophecy — she'll return there soon to continue shooting the second season — and she's just returned from co-starring with Bella Ramsey and Neil Patrick Harris on a film in Scotland. Prior to that she filmed her role in the TV phenomenon, Baby Reindeer, which also shot in the UK. With The Assassin already getting plenty of buzz ahead of its premiere, it's not a stretch to say she's likely to find herself front and centre in another water-cooler TV moment — and potentially off to other beautiful locations if the show goes to a second season. 'I always just go off the feeling I have when I read the script,' she says of her knack for picking projects that land with audiences. 'If I have this feeling of wanting to inhale it, you can't go wrong, right? 'And if there's an amazing group of people attached, you just want to be around those people. 'But I think it's also just luck …' Luck doesn't really seem to play into it — her talent, certainly. So did she have a sense when signing on to star in Richard Gadd's self-penned and part-autobiographical Baby Reindeer that it could be something special? 'A thousand per cent,' she explains. 'I had the exact same feeling that I had when I read the Tourist, and (The Assassin) — but with that, I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that it was true; that it was someone's actual experience. 'I kept making jokes to Richard, saying, 'I think this is going to be the biggest show in the world', and he was like, 'we have got to make it first'. But I was like, 'no, I really have a feeling about this'. 'Or it will completely bomb, but there is no way that that is going to happen, once you get on set and you see the work everyone is doing. 'I mean, how could it not be (incredible) — it was just so interesting.' All her career success — and all that global jet-setting — has meant a trip back to Perth to visit family has had to be popped on the back-burner, 'but hopefully I can get back to Aus at some point,' she says. 'It's been a while — and I miss Mullaloo Beach. That's where we moved when we first came to Australia when I was 15, and I still think it's the best beach in Australia.'
