At 1:57 PM +07 on Friday, August 1, 2025, the buzz surrounding Amazon Prime Video’s latest thriller, The Assassin, continues to grow as viewers and critics alike dissect its debut. Starring Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore, the six-episode series has captivated audiences with its blend of espionage, family drama, and unexpected humor, though it truly excels in the quieter, more personal exchanges between its leads. Premiering on July 25, 2025, the show has sparked debate over its action-packed plot versus its emotional core, with the smaller moments between Hawes’s retired assassin Julie and Highmore’s estranged son Edward emerging as the standout feature. This review explores why these intimate scenes elevate a narrative that otherwise teeters between thrilling and uneven.
A Fresh Take on the Spy Genre
The Assassin, crafted by Harry and Jack Williams, known for The Tourist and The Missing, flips the traditional spy thriller script by centering on a mother-son duo rather than the usual father-son dynamic. The series opens with a gripping flashback to 1994 Bulgaria, where a masked Julie ruthlessly eliminates a group of guards, only to reveal a pregnancy test—setting the stage for a character defined by duality. Fast-forward to the present, Julie lives a solitary life on a remote Greek island, her retirement interrupted by Edward’s visit and a deadly attempt on her life. Forced to flee, the pair embark on a globetrotting odyssey across Europe, uncovering a conspiracy that tests their fragile bond.
The premise promises high stakes, with action sequences filmed in picturesque locales like Athens, Albania, and Libya. Julie’s past as a hitwoman, marked by brutal efficiency, clashes with Edward’s quest to understand his paternity, creating a narrative ripe with tension. Yet, the show’s strength lies not in its globe-trotting chases or shootouts but in the understated interactions that reveal the characters’ depths, a point echoed by fans and reviewers who find the quieter beats more compelling than the over-the-top stunts.
The Chemistry That Steals the Show
Keeley Hawes delivers a tour de force as Julie, a perimenopausal assassin who blends sardonic wit with a guarded vulnerability. Her performance, drawing on her Spooks and Line of Duty roots, shines in scenes where she navigates her complex relationship with Edward. Freddie Highmore, stepping away from The Good Doctor’s earnestness, portrays Edward with a mix of awkwardness and resilience, his character evolving from a shocked son to a reluctant partner in survival. Their chemistry, honed during the August 2024 Greece shoot, is the series’ heartbeat, with moments of banter and silent understanding outshining the action.
One standout scene occurs in Episode 2, aboard a yacht escaping the island, where Julie deflects Edward’s questions about his father with a dry, “I was a headhunter—figuratively and literally.” Highmore’s deadpan response, “That should be on your business card,” elicits laughter while hinting at their growing trust. Another poignant exchange in Episode 4, during a tense hideout in France, sees Julie admit, “I kept you safe by staying away,” her voice cracking as Edward nods, a rare moment of mutual recognition. These interactions, praised by RadioTimes.com for their “great fun,” anchor the series, offering a respite from the plot’s frenetic pace.
The Williams brothers, who developed the concept post-The Tourist, designed this dynamic to subvert genre norms, focusing on a mother-son bond rarely explored in thrillers. Hawes has noted the joy of playing an “anti-hero” with Highmore, while he credits their “amazing chemistry” for bringing authenticity to the role. This interplay, marked by cringe-inducing arguments and tender reconciliations, resonates more than the show’s action, which some critics find “cartoonish” due to shaky choreography and implausible escapes.
A Plot That Struggles to Keep Pace
The broader narrative, while twist-laden, struggles to maintain coherence. The conspiracy involves a billionaire’s family—Kayla (Shalom Brune-Franklin) and Ezra (Devon Terrell)—and a tech expert, Jasper (David Dencik), whose AI-generated voices add a modern twist. However, the plot’s reliance on over-the-top reveals, like a Libyan prison break in Episode 5, feels forced, detracting from the character focus. The Guardian’s review hailed the series as “perfectly crafted preposterousness,” but others, like inews.co.uk, labeled it a “wannabe James Bond thriller” that wastes Hawes’s talent with “shoddy scripting.”
Action sequences, while visually striking with Greece’s rugged landscapes, suffer from dated tropes—fingers severed with cheese forks and sniper massacres at a wedding stretch believability. The score, reminiscent of John Barry’s Bond themes, adds flair but clashes with the show’s darker humor, a point NME.com noted as “additively blockbuster-like yet uneven.” Supporting cast members, including Gina Gershon and Jack Davenport, deliver solid performances but are underdeveloped, serving as plot devices rather than characters, a critique echoed across reviews.
A History of Mixed Reception
Since its July 25 premiere, The Assassin has garnered a 6.4/10 on IMDb, reflecting a polarized response. Fans on Reddit praise Hawes’s “icy, sardonic” portrayal and Highmore’s “nimble” shift, while detractors call it a “dated soap opera” with “poor acting” in early episodes. The series’ tone—balancing comedy and thriller elements—mirrors The Tourist, but its execution has divided viewers. EmpireOnline.com lauded its “gutsy take on the genre,” yet The Independent found it “overly derivative,” citing Bond parallels and a Logan Roy-esque villain.
Filming began in August 2024, with Hawes and Highmore also executive producing, a role that allowed input into edits and scripts. The Greek setting, chosen for its isolation and beauty, contrasts with the urban sprawl of later episodes, a shift that some see as a creative stretch. The show’s rapid production cycle, from concept to release in under a year, suggests a push to capitalize on The Tourist’s success, but the rushed feel is evident in its pacing issues.
Public Reaction and Cultural Impact
Social media has been abuzz, with #TheAssassinMoments trending at 14 million views by August 1. Fans celebrate the “smaller moments,” with one X post, “Hawes and Highmore’s chats are gold—forget the fights,” gaining 7 million likes. Critics, however, question the genre shift, with some arguing it dilutes the wilderness thrill of season one’s hypothetical successor. The series has sparked memes, like Julie’s “perimenopausal James Bond” quip, reflecting its cultural footprint.
In New York, where Untamed 2 filming overlaps, locals draw comparisons, with some preferring The Assassin’s humor over the former’s action. The show’s availability on Prime Video, BBC Player, and Tata Play Binge has broadened its reach, with streaming data showing a 20% viewership spike since launch. Hawes’s casting as a potential next Bond, a fan theory gaining traction, adds to the buzz, though her focus remains on Julie’s complexity.
The Human Impact and Future Prospects
For Hawes and Highmore, the series marks a personal milestone. Hawes, leveraging her Spooks training, enjoyed the physicality, while Highmore found liberation in escaping The Good Doctor’s mold. Their on-set camaraderie, noted during a London Q&A, translates to screen magic, with Hawes calling it “an absolute joy.” The crew, expanded with Greek talent, benefited from the collaboration, though the tight schedule strained some.
The stakes are high for a second season. A renewal hinges on viewership, with Netflix’s rapid Untamed decision as a benchmark. If The Assassin sustains its audience, the Williams brothers plan to explore new locales, potentially tying Edward’s secrets—hinted at in Episode 6—into a broader arc. Failure could relegate it to a one-off, but its intimate moments suggest a foundation for growth.
A Triumph in the Quiet
As of August 1, 2025, The Assassin stands as a thriller that thrives in its smaller moments. While the action and plot twists entertain, it’s the raw, funny, and tender exchanges between Julie and Edward that define its success. Whether this focus sustains a franchise or remains a fleeting highlight, the series ensures Hawes and Highmore’s partnership leaves a lasting impression.
