Netflix’s new series The gardener has been a big hit, rocket to the top of its most viewed chart of non-English-speaking shows. It is the story of a young man whose mother uses his lack of feelings to make him a hitman – but then he falls for his next intended victim.
What made the show so popular is probably the fact that it is character driven rather than the action drive – and of course it means when things start, you are emotionally invested. And that’s something that applies to these thrillers too: Of course they are exciting, but they also have characters you want to root to.
Black pigeons
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With a huge 94% critic assessment on Rotten Tomatoes, this Keira Knightley-star spy story has “compelling notions, striking visuals and a naughty sense of humor,” says the Times of the India. It is the story of a woman who has an affair, only for her partner to become a victim of the criminal underworld – so she has assigned Sam (Ben Wishaw) to protect her.
“It’s a smart, frolicking action adventure full of twists, but it also knows how to get the most out of its stars, expanded to an audience’s expectations and even riff wise to current events in our Topsy-Turvy world,” says the establishing shot.
“Knightley and Whishaw are great here and play all the layers of their characters’ lies and all the layers of their pain and joys,” says the New York Times. However, it becomes violent: As Britain Times says, it is “ultimately quite heart -heating despite the blood and gore.”
House of Ninjas
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Everyone loves a good ninja -show and this is a very good ninja -show: season 1 of House of Ninjas Has a perfect 100% rotten tomatoes score.
Here’s what we said about the first season. “Cut your shurik’s and dust off your dagger: Japan is facing a national crisis, and the only ones who can help are Ninjas in Netflix’s new drama series. Fortunately for the Japan people, the ninjas are still around after spending years hiding to stay out of sight and out of the mind.
But when the nation needs their help, the last and deeply dysfunctional ninja family must jump into action. “
Not everyone loved the story – SF Chronicle found it “predictable”. But Screenanarchy asks to vary. It’s “a fantastic mix of stealthy ninja action, family drama and gentle comedy. The role crew is excellent for playing the various notes required throughout the series and the action is bone bunching and bloody.”
The night agent
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The night agent comes from the same pen as The Shield, which was also created by Shawn Ryan. It follows the FBI agent at low-level Peter Sutherland, who is in the wrong place at the wrong time when the phone rings: The call throws him right into the middle of a massive conspiracy.
Reviews have mostly been positive with a few tomato sprayers, such as age, saying it’s a “solid” whose “nonspective run-and-gun tale that at least has a zesty female counterpart.” But San Jose Mercury News liked it a lot: It’s “a solid conspiracy movie/series -Throwback involving two deadly murderers, a bombing in a metro, a mole in the white house and a newborn FBI agent who is in over his head.”
Variation was also enthusiastic. “It’s a pleasure to see a show better than it could have been when so often the opposite is true: The night agent Sparks with curiosity and intrigue, a rich detailed show that promotes viewers ahead at a merciless pace. “
