Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw shine in a killer performance

Black pigeons is based on two well-known storylines: the hitman with a heart that can be broken and the spy who risks her mission for love. Still, Joe Barton’s spirited new Netflix thriller (The Lazarus Project) is a remarkably fresh, exciting and laugh-out-loud joke, driven by a sharp comedic sense and hugely entertaining performances from stars Ben Whishaw and Keira Knightley.

Helen Webb (Knightley) lives a posh London life with her husband Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan), the British Defense Secretary and a rising star in the Conservative Party. When she’s not looking after her children (Taylor Sullivan and Charlotte Rice-Foley) and otherwise playing the perfect politician’s wife, Helen – not her real name – works for the Black Doves, a mercenary spy syndicate run by the icy Mrs .Reed (Sarah) is supervised Lancashire). After a decade of passing government secrets to the highest bidder, Helen is devastated when she learns that Jason Davies (Andrew Koji), a civil servant and her secret lover, has been murdered by a sniper. Worried about her sweetheart being killed while seeking revenge, Mrs. Reed recruits Sam (Whishaw), a skilled sniper and Helen’s old friend, to protect Helen as she sets out to find Jason’s killer.

Of course, Barton’s series (premiering Dec. 5) features a central mystery — a complex intersection of events surrounding a dead Chinese ambassador (Andy Cheung) and his missing socialite daughter (Isabella Wei) — but what drives it? Black pigeons is the bond between Ben and Helen, two heartbroken best friends who understand each other like no other. For Ben, who lives in exile after a botched attack years ago, returning to London brings painful closeness to his now estranged soulmate Michael (Omari Douglas) – and to Lenny (Kathryn Hunter), the boss he betrayed. And as eager as she is to avenge Jason’s death, Helen is equally devoted to her family and equally determined to literally keep them out of the line of fire.

Set against the busy backdrop of London at Christmas time Black pigeons begins with a thrilling action sequence – the murder of Jason and two of his associates (Hannah Khalique-Brown and Thomas Coombes) by invisible assassins – and doesn’t stop for six brisk episodes. Barton, who serves as the project’s sole author, doesn’t try to stir up false intrigue by holding back on fundamental questions; In episode 2 we know how Helen joined the Black Doves and how she and Sam met.

From their first meeting in a dark London car park, Sam and Helen recognize each other – somewhat reluctantly at first – as kindred spirits who find solace in the controlled chaos of their chosen careers. Knightley, whose extremely angular face moves fluidly between angelic and menacing, is clearly reveling in her role as Helen, a character that requires vivid comedic flair (“You know, you’re pretty damn droll for 3 a.m.!”). Action hero swagger and heartfelt emotions. Whishaw makes Ben a believable, efficient killer, but also a gentle, sad-looking sweetheart who could really use a hug.

Black pigeonsThe plot occasionally gets confused and the scripts resort to hackneyed spy dialogue. (“If the people I believe killed the ambassador are after you, then you’re already dead,” insists CIA agent Cole Atwood, played by Finn Bennett. “They just don’t know it yet. “) It hardly detracts from that. The overall appeal of the series, however, is that Helen and Sam – and their circle of trigger-happy colleagues – are so damn fun to watch. Ella Lily Hyland and Three womenParticularly funny are Gabrielle Creevy as Williams and Eleanor, two carefree assassins from Generation Z. (Williams: “How long have you had a rocket launcher?” Eleanor: “Since last Christmas.”)

Netflix has already renewed Black pigeons for a second season, and the bloody, satisfying final hour presents our antiheroes with a new set of challenges. My holiday wish is that the streaming suits work quickly to get Knightley and Whishaw back into production so we can look forward to another Helen and Sam adventure come Christmas 2025. Grade: A-

Black pigeons Premieres Thursday, December 5th on Netflix.