AMC+’s New High-Octane Thriller ‘The Assassin’ Premieres with a Bang
Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore are the duo we didn’t know we needed
Thursday, November 20, marked the premiere of AMC+’s latest thriller, The Assassin. Written and produced by award-winning brothers Harry and Jack Williams (Fleabag, The Tourist, The Missing), this 6-episode series weaves a tale of a retired assassin going on the run with her adult son after a job gone wrong. Starring and executive produced by Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore—who play Julie and Edward—this fast paced James Bond-style series blends wit, charm, and extreme stress in a way that will keep you wanting more.
You Can’t Escape the Past
The story begins with retired assassin Julie on a remote island in Greece where she lives a quiet life. It is not until her son Edward arrives with questions about his past and a strange inheritance that this new life is at sudden war with her prior occupation. In the premiere episode, the audience is immediately thrust into a life on the run as Julie’s past come barreling at her in the most unlikely of places. Right away the background and the plot unfolds, leading us swiftly down the whirlwind path that is high-stakes action-thriller. The pace in writing style contributes to this, as it does not take long to get to the meat of the story, springing you into a world of sudden and constant danger. By the end of the episode, you will be on the edge of your seat wondering “what the absolute [fill in the blank to your liking].”
The ensemble cast incudes Gina Gershon as Marie, David Derick as Jasper, Shalom Brune-Franklin as Kayla, Devon Terrell as Ezra, Alan Dale as Aaron Cross, and Gerald Kyd as Luka. They round out the series, fanning the flames of destruction that only the life of an assassin can bring—leaving a trail of bodies and more questions along the way.
The Delicate Relationship than Between a Mother and Her Son
Although The Assassin perfectly infuses humor with heart-pounding danger, it brings up challenges with the core theme of the mother-son relationship. Julie and Edward tiptoe around their complicated reality and the strain—2 separate lives colored with secrecy, lies, and lack of trust that impedes their ability to reconnect now as adults. This strain is further tested as Edward’s journey toward the truth becomes the focal plot point, centering his life between the most dangerous people on the planet and his mother. Julie and Edward must fight to survive at all costs despite these circumstances. But what is the cost for the truth? And are either Julie or Edward willing to pay it?
The Assassin is available to stream now on AMC+ with each new episode airing every Thursday. Check out the trailer below.
Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore sound like perfet casting for this. The mother-son dynamic with such a dark secret bettween them is compelling. AMC+ has been putting out some solid thrillers latley. Definitely adding this to the watchlist.