While I don't take issue with the quality of the acting, the portrayals of Philby, Burgess, Maclean and Blunt are for the most part, wildly innacurate and this is nothing more than an apologist exercise for these four traitors. Kim Philby could hardly have written a better or more flattering script himself. Tom Hollander as Guy Burgess is the only one who gives anything like a realistic impression of the person he portrays. Samuel West looks nothing like Anthony Blunt and only on occasion gives a hint of the cold, sly, deceptive nature of Blunt's character. The rest of the time he appears timid and fearful. The worst portrayals of all are those of Toby Stephens as Kim Philby and Rupert Penry-Jones as Donald Maclean. In the Cambridge years Philby comes across as a needy, anxious, weak individual gushing about his belief in Communism, desperate to be taken on as Soviet Agent and secure the praise of his Soviet handler Otto. Later on he is amateurish and nervous. This could not be further from the truth. Philby was brilliant, controlled, singleminded and ruthhless from the start. Donald Maclean is portayed as a hand wringing, wimp bedevilled by his conscience, again far from the reality; and all four of the Cambridge spies are presented as naive, thoroughly decent and principled individuals who only want to make British society fairer and help the poor. This is complete and utter nonsense. In reality Blunt, Philby, Burgess and Maclean were completely committed, focused and utterly ruthless Communist agents who knew from the beginning exactly what they were doing, what it would entail and the damage they would do. They were utterly cold blooded and ruthless and had no interest in righting societal wrongs or helping the poor as is suggested in this series. The fault lies with the writing and direction, both of which appear to be aimed at garnering sympathy for four despicable men. While one can enjoy the series as entertainment and appreciate the quality of the acting, it is important to bear in mind at all times that these four men betrayed their friends and their country and did so without compunction or regret.
Review of Cambridge Spies
