# Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983)

> A dramatised account of Sidney Reilly, a Russian-born Jew who became one of Britain's most daring secret agents during the turbulent early twentieth century.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/11206

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history, thriller
- Created by: Troy Kennedy Martin
- Network: ITV1
- Cast: Sam Neill, John Rhys-Davies, Sebastian Shaw, Denis Holmes, John Hart Dyke, John Monckton, Howard Lew Lewis, Vic Tablian
- TMDB rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085077/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: sophisticated, glamorous, melancholic, tense, shadowy

## Synopsis

Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983) is a British television miniseries created by Troy Kennedy Martin for ITV1, produced by Thames Television and Euston Films. Sam Neill stars as Sidney Reilly, a Russian-born Jewish adventurer who becomes one of the most celebrated secret agents Britain ever recruited. Across a single run of twelve fifty-minute episodes, the story follows his daring infiltration of the German General Staff during the First World War and his audacious attempt to unsettle the Bolsheviks in the chaos that followed the Russian Revolution. The engine of the drama is the tension between his brilliance at deception and the risks of working for governments that will abandon him. Each hour unfolds as a self-contained stretch of espionage, political maneuvering and personal entanglement, building toward a portrait of a man whose reputation with women was as legendary as his talent for intrigue. Set in early twentieth century Europe and Russia, the series carries a glamorous, shadowy atmosphere, with cold capitals, smoky rooms and clandestine meetings. Its tone is sophisticated and melancholic, balancing swagger with the loneliness of a double life. Fans of Deutschland 83, The Night Manager and Taboo will find resonance in its period tension and charismatic lead.

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