Gavin Logan reviews the fourth episode of Fleming….
The War is coming to a close and so is Ian Fleming’s career as a Naval Intelligence Officer, but before he bows out he finally gets the chance to get his hands dirty. This time in near the Russian border, where he forces his superior to send him to find important Nazi documents pertaining to possible secret nuclear plans. As Fleming drives through desolate snow covered and corpse filled roads, armed with only one gun and flanked by one of his old 30AU buddies, he bravely confronts a camp with Nazi Soldiers nicknamed ‘The Werewolves’ hidden throughout. He manages to infiltrate the building and capture some significant material. When he is attacked by the Werewolves, he uses all of his cunning and with the help of a Nazi traitor escapes in a truck, only to be upheld on the road by a troop of Russian soldiers at a barricade. While he is allowed to leave freely, his Nazi co-operative doesn’t share his luck and is killed by the Russians.
This particular segment of the episode was perhaps the only decent stretch of action that seemed to have some gravity to it. It was his last foray, his swan song of sorts and was meant to symbolise the strength of his character by showing his survival capabilities, even though it felt a little hindered by the absolute ease in which he approaches the camp and escapes death at the hands of the Nazi’s who refused to surrender. The Werewolves were apparently the most horrific band of Nazis out there yet Fleming barely breaks a sweat when chased then later challenged by one of them to explain who he is. If it all seems a little far-fetched it’s because it probably is. Upon his return Fleming’s superior chimes in stating that he “doesn’t believe a word of it”. Even his close friend and colleague Monday (Anna Chancellor) questions the integrity of his most recent and final report from the field in which Fleming himself admits to fabricating the truth slightly.
And this is where the show tends to hit a brick wall. More often than not and in a strange plot to try to fool the audience, it plays out scenes that may or may not be in Fleming’s own mind. If we hark back to previous episodes, Fleming has invariably been compared to a flamboyant storyteller and an idea man rather than a soldier. So it begs the question, have we simply been witnessing Ian Fleming’s imagination? If so, then it seems to be a clever platform in which to tell his story with more pizazz, but where do the fabrications stop and the truth begin?
Later in the episode we finally get to see a side of Fleming he so often tends to hide from others. The emotional, sensitive, painful side that is perpetually ripped open by Ann O’Neill. She is no longer just another woman in his life. She is his lover, his soulmate and against all odds and the wishes of his mother, his future wife. Even during their intense smoke infested stare downs and coincidental meetings at various bars, clubs and upper-class parties from previous episodes we get the feeling that whatever happened between these two doesn’t need to be questioned. Even though I believe the mini-series wasn’t necessarily meant to be a love story, it does everything in it’s power to highlight that the relationship between Fleming and O’Neill signifies more about who the man behind Bond really is than anything he could’ve possibly done during his Navy days.
Unfortunately the episode didn’t exactly go out with a spectacular display of fireworks, unlike the awkward scene in which Fleming and O’Neill struggle to decide whether or not to consent their future to each other. Although the message she leaves him on his typewriter (another nod to Fleming’s literary work) did make me smile. What should’ve been a seamless journey from retired Navy Officer to bestselling novelist ended up fizzling into a cheap gag (albeit a funny one) barely brushing on the subject of possibly writing a spy novel. Who would’ve thought that without the keen insight from his brother Peter, we may have been discussing Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Harry Aitken.
A noble attempt at telling the story behind the literary legend that is always in the shadow of it’s protagonists creation. Beautifully filmed and superbly acted but overall a limp, lacklustre finale that cared more about the “will they, won’t they?” (even though we knew they would) rather than the transition from behind the desk to behind the typewriter.
Gavin Logan – Follow me on Twitter and A-Z Movie Challenge.
Originally published March 7, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
