Circles of Deceit

A British spy series that emphasizes the gritty side of the profession rather than Ian Fleming fantasy, this collection of four telefilms from 1993–96 features Dennis Waterman as John Neil, a former agent periodically called in to handle special cases. Unlike James Bond, Neil is no martini-drinking swell, but a tortured man haunted by the deaths of his wife and son in a bombing while he was on assignment. Reluctant to be drawn back into his old life. Neil is also a decidedly imperfect operative, often finding himself several steps behind his adversaries and sometimes in physical danger (Waterman plays the character with a haggard, world-weary attitude that's entirely appropriate). The quartet of episodes find Neil involved in: undercover work against an IRA family in Belfast, an effort to unmask aging Soviet sleeper agents, an investigation into the murder of a spy who's connected to the London banking world, and the pursuit of a colleague who's gone rogue. In each case, Neil is hobbled by various “circles of deceit,” including the tendency of his superiors to withhold important information. Many of England's best character actors fill supporting roles—Derek Jacobi as Neil's first handler, Peter Vaughan as an IRA patriarch, Leo McKern as a retired Soviet agent—in this winning, handsomely-produced series. Recommended. (F. Swietek)