The Capture, Series 2 finale, BBC One review - gripping ride to a barnstorming conclusion

★★★★ THE CAPTURE, SERIES 2 FINALE, BBC ONE Gripping ride to a barnstorming conclusion

But could the AI drama have been more chilling if less intent on being thrilling?

[Here be spoilers.] If you have been glued to the second season of The Capture, just ended, does it bother you that its content is borderline science fiction? Probably not. Writer Ben Chanan’s depiction of artificial intelligence may outstrip the reality of what it can currently achieve, but he can sure spin a gripping TV series around AI's potential for creating chaos in the wrong hands. 

The Capture, Series 2, BBC One review - caught up in the China syndrome

★★★★ THE CAPTURE, SERIES 2, BBC ONE Ben Chanan's compelling dystopian drama

Ben Chanan's dystopian drama hits some sizzlingly contemporary notes

When the first series of The Capture arrived three years ago, theartsdesk liked it so much that we reviewed it three times. Writer-director Ben Chanan had successfully, and addictively, tapped into a secret dystopia of blanket digital surveillance and so-called “correction”, in which anyone might be manipulated by shadowy state agencies to serve their own hidden agendas.

The Ipcress File, ITV review – adaptation of Len Deighton thriller fires on all cylinders

★★★★★ THE IPCRESS FILE, ITV Adaptation of Len Deighton thriller fires on all cylinders

Joe Cole, Lucy Boynton and Tom Hollander light up this Cold War classic

Sidney J Furie’s 1965 film The Ipcress File is a much-loved benchmark of its period. Stylish, sinister, witty and depicting a determinedly un-swinging London, it was conceived as the flipside to the absurdly glamorous James Bond movies and pulled it off with panache. It also had Michael Caine playing the lead role of Harry Palmer, and a superb John Barry soundtrack famously featuring that mysterious instrument, the cimbalom.

Killing Eve, Series 4, BBC One review - has Villanelle found God?

★★★ KILLING EVE, SERIES 4, BBC IPLAYER The final series may be hard-pushed to sustain glamour or momentum

The final series may be hard-pushed to sustain glamour or momentum

“I’ve killed so many people. I don’t want to do it any more, any of it.” So said Villanelle (Jodie Comer) to Eve (Sandra Oh) in the last episode of the third series of Killing Eve, soon after she’d pushed Rhian Bevan, an assassin hired by the Twelve, under a train. Yeah, right, you may have thought, yawning cynically.

Blu-ray: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

★★★★★ BLU-RAY: THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD Martin Ritt's superb Cold War spy thriller as good as ever

Superb Cold War spy thriller looks as good as ever

Martin Ritt’s 1965 classy screen adaptation of John Le Carré’s bestseller The Spy Who Came in From the Cold is an antidote to the full-colour hi-jinx of the Bond franchise that ruled over the spy movie genre in the 1960s.

A Splinter of Ice, Original Theatre Company online review - Graham Greene and Kim Philby are friends reunited

★★★★ A SPLINTER OF ICE, ORIGINAL THEATRE COMPANY ONLINE Graham Greene and Kim Philby are friends reunited

Affectionate aplomb from Oliver Ford Davies and Stephen Boxer in Ben Brown's new play

There’s such a genial feel to the pairing of Oliver Ford Davies and Stephen Boxer in Ben Brown’s new play that there are moments when we almost forget the weighty historical circumstances that lay behind the long-awaited encounter between two old friends, this evening of conversation and drinking, that is its subject.

Deutschland 89, Channel 4 review - the Wall comes down, what next?

★★★★ DEUTSCHLAND 89, CHANNEL 4 Final series of the East German spy drama

Compulsive start to final series of the East German spy drama that's much more

Joerg and Anna Winger’s gripping drama of East Germany, a loose portrait set over the final decade of that country’s existence, has reached its culmination, and this first episode of Deutschland 89 landed us right in the unpredictable maelstrom of history.

The Same Sky, More4 review - Cold War thriller from both sides of the Berlin wall

★★★★ THE SAME SKY, MORE4 Cold War thriller from both sides of the Berlin Wall

Deutschland 74: German-British co-production explores the surreality of spying

“Make contact with the left eye - it is a direct pathway to the emotions. Then make yourself scarce so that the desire in her can grow.” This fine flirting advice comes from a Stasi officer to his students, preparing them for a honey-trap mission to seduce West Berlin intelligence officers.

The Best Films Out Now

THE BEST FILMS OUT NOW theartsdesk recommends the top movies of the moment

theartsdesk recommends the top movies of the moment

There are films to meet every taste in theartsdesk's guide to the best movies currently on release. In our considered opinion, any of the titles below is well worth your attention.

Enola Holmes ★★★★ Millie Bobby Brown gives the patriarchy what-for in a new Sherlock-related franchise

Putin: A Russian Spy Story, Channel 4 review - inside the mind of a man without a face

PUTIN: A RUSSIAN SPY STORY, CHANNEL 4 The anatomy of power behind the man in the Kremlin, and where he came from

The anatomy of power behind the man in the Kremlin, and where he came from

Director Nick Green’s new three-parter follows on the heels of his A Dangerous Dynasty: House of Assad and comparisons are sure to be made between his two subjects.